Deception Is An Art
by MalinMarie
Summary: Rin has never been good in school so Mephisto has a plan to help. But when a dash of the Vatican, Satan, and all other hell in the world breaks lose, will Rin break under the pressure? Which side will Rin choose when he realises the good side isn't so good and the bad side isn't so bad? Or does he have his own side in this world? Yaoi MephXRin eventually
1. It Begins With A Lie

Greetings and salutations,

Within hours of posting the beginnings of this story, I received my first flame. It was very exciting! But, it was an ignorant, little flame that did nothing to advice or guide me in any way. To my mysterious guest flamer I reply:

"These are my toys to play with. I don't own them, they're simply borrowed. But, these are my toys to play with. In my story, I can manipulate and control them however I please. If I should choose to make Mephisto into a teenage girl with a tan and boho hair extensions who does cart wheels where ever he goes, I damn well will. I'm writing this story because I like this pairing and I choose to believe Mephisto doesn't hate love, but in fact, knows nothing of love. One must first love before they can hate and in my story, Mephisto will grow to be fond, to lust, and eventually to love and cherish and should you have qualms with this story's core elements, I suggest you read till the end before voicing them. I don't mind flames over small facets and details in the story or even pieces of different character arcs. But when you straight up tell me my story can never work and that my idea is beyond repair then I say... Piss off and don't waste your ignorant breath."

Rant end.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

Now without further adieu, please enjoy my tale of love.

* * *

"Yukio.. I have a question.." Rin's quiet voice sounded through the silence of their dorm. The clock blinked bright red, signalling that it was well past time for Rin to have passed out. He should have been drooling and dreaming about cheap, first-rate cuisine. Yet he was definitely awake. Everything from the past few months had ate away at him, destroying him. He could no longer bear to grunt and sweat beneath the pain and weight that crushed his heart.

A shuffling came from Yukio's bunk as the boy rolled over. A pair of sleepy, strained eyes peered at his brother who was still clothed in his school uniform sitting at his desk. His ivory face was cast in pale light and twisted in deep thought. There was desperation in his eyes as they gazed out the window and into the night. Yukio, seeing those emotions plastered on his older brother's face, shook the sleep from his brain before putting his glasses on and sitting up.

"What is it, nii-san?" Yukio's voice was tired and sluggish but the concern in it was clear. He twisted to better look at his demonic twin, his tail twitching in anxiety as Rin dropped his head from the light. A pregnant pause overtook the room. Yukio felt anxious and uneasy, trying to search for answers in the dark of Rin's bang covered eyes. But the teen wouldn't let him in. It was unlike Rin to hide anything from his kid brother. Yet, because his brother hadn't been the same since the battle against Satan, their relationship was no longer the same. Rin wasn't the carefree, loud boy he used to be. He was withdrawn and brooding, unable to pull out the laughter and jokes that all in the cram school had become used to and even fond of. Yukio was pulled from his thoughts as Rin finally spoke.

"Will you kill me?" The words hung heavy in the air, stifling the breathe of the two brothers. Yukio's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Rin turned his head slightly so that his pain stricken orbs caught their twin pair. They were red with unushed tears and their depths swirled with sadness and fear. "Kill me. Shoot me. Curse me to Gehenna." His alabaster, clawed hand reached up, fisting its way into the black jacket covering his heart. "Anything to make this pain stop." Yukio lept up, now fully awake and alert. He grabbed the hand over Rin's heart, pulling it away at the wrist and gripping tight as his heart raced. He felt the pulse beneath his fingers fly like hummingbird's wings, matching his own.

"No, I could never take your life, never harm you. You're my brother!" His voice became increasingly louder, surprise and terror shaking in its baritone depths. "Why would you ask me to do such a thing?"

Rin, whose gaze had still been trained on the bed where his brother once laid, looked up into his sibling's scared face. Tears flowed freely from Rin's tortured blue orbs. He had tried to fight the pain for so long, tried to reject the thoughts whenever they occurred. He had gotten frustrated, depressed, enraged, and driven half mad by his churning insides that now settled with every word of truth he was finally able to speak after months, weeks, days, of lying. As he whispered softly, each word was like another shovel of dirt to cover his coffin as well as another twist of the door to freedom.

"I'm in love with Mephisto..."


	2. And Blossoms From Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

Rin stood on the curb outside of the only home he had ever known. His back was turned to the building, unable to bear the sight of it. It's small yard and brick fence seemed so insignificant in the shadows of the buildings surrounding it. And yet, in that small church where devout men and women gathered to worship and give thanks to their deities, so much had happened, so much horror and pain had been dealt. A pang of sadness beat into his heart as he sunk and drowned in these memories.

Tires squealing across pavement roused him from his pained thoughts. A limo painted in a powdered pink came barreling at him leaving only seconds for Rin to leap out of the way. As the pink monstrosity came to a halt, its window rolled down revealing Mephisto clad in all his clown glory. Rin snorted in disbelief, his tail twitching and rolling in excitement behind him.

"Baka! You could've killed me! And what's with the lame car?" He mumbled in his none too threatening teenage tone. Mephisto cackled in return, his canines bearing with a smug grin.

"Watch who you're calling 'baka'. I am after all your principal and guardian from here on." The man gave him an entitled look, opening the door without another word. "I figured only the finest vehicle for your ride to my prestigious school. Now, off we go! I have business to attend to and you have classes and dorms and studies to explore." Rin glared, put off by the man's cocky manner. He shook his head, tossing his bag into the open window of the limousine, hitting Mephisto in the stomach and making him cough and sputter. This earned the teen a fiery look of disdain but all he could do was laugh into the demon's face.

"Baka, baka, whatever. Let's go already." Rin said snidely, still laughing lightly over Mephisto's pain as he slide into the seat beside the clown. As the boy got in, the older demon took a moment to size him up and look him over. He wasn't extraordinarily built, kinda lean and lanky. His face was angular and broad, surrounded by a fringe of blue tinted, shaggy, onyx hair. His skin was pale and unusually flawless, inlaid with two gems for eyes. It was these eyes that truly caught Mephisto's attention.

As Rin stared out the window of the car, completely oblivious to his careful observer, the flashes of light from the outside world reflected and danced in his irises. Their endless depths were tinted purple near the pupil but around that expanse of dark magenta color was a galaxy awash with a mixture of marine blues like the deepest oceans and highlights of lighter blues that put to shame the palest starlight.

Mephisto felt himself becoming captivated and intrigued by the sheer maze of color within those small orbs. They were unlike any eyes he had ever seen, including in Gehenna. It dawned on him that perhaps it was the boy's mixed genes that gave him such striking qualities. This theory would make sense seeing as even his younger twin was striking in an odd sort of way, but not so much as his clawed, fanged, and tailed counterpart. Mephisto nodded to himself, figuring this was the best conclusion to come to and that his interest in the boy's features were based simply on his scientific fascination for all things rare. The newly rebirthed demon was a very fine specimen but as were many of Mephisto's brothers and sisters. Mephisto even had the pride in saying he himself was a fine example of demonic breeding.

With his wonder set aside by the scientific ramifications of such a thing, his attention faded from the boy, losing interest altogether. He whistled a tune to himself as he watched the road signs and markings fly past. Rin, having noticed the man's careful observation only a few moments before he had turned away, took a moment to observe his principal as well. The older demon was dressed in peculiar jester-like clothing in some of the most feminine pastel colors he had ever seen on a man. However, as Rin looked past the clothing, the man wasn't all too horrible to look at. His hair was a deep shade of purple that contrasted with eyes that seemed to be electrified. They were a type of fluorescent green that seemed to be alive and possess an illuminating light all their own. His face was snow-colored and smooth like granite or white marble. He reminded Rin of a sculpture. Rin looked away surprised at his own attention to the older man's face. He felt a blush dusting his cheeks and quickly turned away.

Mephisto ignored the gaze of his prospective student on his face. He knew that his own feature were striking. As a purebred demon, it was only expected that he hold beauty that surpassed lower level, muddied demons and humans alike. A smug grin spread over his face, seising his whistling. Not commenting any of this aloud, he noticed they had finally passed into True Cross Tunnel. He leaned toward his ward to address him.

"Welcome, Okumura, to your new home and institution of education, True Cross Academy. We have every facility possible to fulfil any academic field of learning. So please, study to your heart's content!" Rin gave a gasp of surprise as the school came into view, ignoring Mephisto's clear boasting at his school. It's large campus interlocked and weaved through the landscape of the small peninsula in which it was built. All the buildings and bridges joined together in a web of complicated designs and patterns.

Mephisto most definitely felt a sense of pride and satisfaction over his school at the admiration in Rin's eyes as his ward let out a childish 'whoa'. His nose pressed to the glass as he scanned the mountainous school, eyes taking in everything hungrily. The young, inexperienced boy's tail swung eagerly behind him, nearly smacking Mephisto in the face and earning the wriggling thing a disapproving look.

"I would suggest you keep your tail hidden. The ears and fangs can be written off as simple body enhancements of a rebellious teen boy, the tail; however, cannot." Rin blushed deeply for the second time that day, shoving his tail into the back of his pants and glaring at the clown. Mephisto tossed a black uniform into his face, smiling self-righteously as the boy yelped and pulled the clothing away to glare even harder at the older man. "I would also suggest you get changed for your first day of orientation. Isn't the old saying to always dress to impress?" Rin's endless eyes widened in surprise as he realized the implications of changing in the cramped limo.

"BAKA! I can't change in front of you!" He protested loudly, the blush from before coming back in all its red glory acrossed his alabaster cheek bones. Mephisto raised an eyebrow at the boy's reaction before chuckling darkly.

"I hope you don't think of me as a pervert who would watch his ward undress. How insulting! Just get changed, you impertinent brat." This earned Mephisto an annoyed huff and eye roll as Rin turned his torso away, resigning to just change quickly.

As Rin pulled his shirt off, he became stuck half way, though only bearing his lower back and belly button. This little bit, however, made him feel none the less uncomfortable as he paranoidly felt those eyes once again on him, particularly on the exposed skin. He grumbled and shifted in the shirt becoming increasingly frustrated as he got one arm out. This caused the shirt became taut over his other shoulder and the space under his bicep. He let out an angry growl, cursing the cotton prison. Mephisto, feeling sorry for the boy, snapped his fingers. The shirt disappeared leaving Rin surprised at the sudden chill in the air, he peaked over his shoulder to see the older demon still turned toward the window. The demon of course was; however, it didn't make the teen feel any better. The weird urge to crawl into a hole in embarrassment overwhelmed him. He murmured a quick 'thanks' to whatever magic the man had just performed, gripping his white, uniform shirt tightly. He received a small snort in return as he slipped the shirt on without any problems.

He also pulled the rest of his clothing on without problem, yet he still cursed seeming so incompetent in front of the clown-like man and rued the fact he had to help him to simply take clothing off. It seemed to be the very poor start of a very poor acquaintanceship with Mephisto and Rin hoped he would be seeing him as little as possible from now on.


	3. Then Flourishes In Sadness

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

A long sigh escaped through a pair of soft peach lips as two brilliant eyes stared up into the night sky. These eyes stared up towards stars, not actually seeing them. Rin's mind wandered and explored itself, thinking, reminiscing, debating. Hopelessness and sadness, however, overwhelmed much of his thoughts. Rin sat up, wrapping his arms and tail around his knees. It had been three weeks since class had started and his grades were in the gutter for cram school. Even in Yukio's class, which he had Yukio's tutoring at night to help with, was still a failure. His brother lectured that he needed to pay attention, focus, and study. He tried to pay attention in class, he honestly did. But, all the teachers seemed to speak another language as they lectured, leaving Rin confused and grasping at straws.

Rin wished he had known how difficult this would be before he started. The memory of his decision to become an exorcist, standing before his father's grave, came flooding back. Mephisto had laughed in his face. He had called him ridiculous, made a joke out of his ambition, and warned him that the road ahead would be difficult. Mephisto had warned him that people would be out to kill him in the same way the older demon himself had shown up that day to do. Rin had known the road would be hard but he had anticipated physical pain, endurance, and adventure. Nothing like the weight that settled on his shoulders now. His normal classes, math, science, etc, they were all fine and he understood them. He even did well in them. But his exorcist classes just went right over his head. Even when he listened, it still just didn't stick in his mind. He was failing most of cram school's classes and had no idea why.

"Gah!" Rin let out an angered yelp, tangling his fingers in his hair. He felt so stupid when it came to his exorcist classes and yet those were the ones that counted the most. He closed his eyes and let his hands slide out of his hair to cup his face. He didn't know what he was going to do. Yukio had lectured him before he had left for a mission a few hours ago about how poorly Rin was doing. The blue haired demon hadn't known how to respond. He had just sat there listening and feeling stupider by the second. He always felt stupid, especially in the shadow of his brother. Yukio had gotten all the perks in life; looks, talent, charisma, intelligence. Rin was the one who was quick to action, loud, idiotic, and unliked by most people. These traits got him no friends, no followers, no devoted students, no degrees, they didn't get him anywhere. Unlike Yukio who could go anywhere and do anything. Rin felt these thoughts weigh heavy on his heart and felt his eyes begin to burn.

"Baka..." He whispered to himself, wiping at his eyes. "How lame..." The little rivulets of salt that filed out of his eyes made him feel all the worse. He hated feeling emasculated. He hated feeling like less of a person. Yet, that's all he felt lately. He felt stupid, ignored, unliked, even hated, and he was so tired of it all. Men and women were willing to give their lives for his head. They were willing to sacrifice anything to kill the spawn of Satan. They overlooked who he was. They didn't care about the person below the flames. They only cared who his father was and that hurt. It hurt Rin in ways he hadn't felt since grade school when teachers and parents would always look down on him, calling him a demon child. People had always looked down on him and it was no less true now. Bon, Izumo, Yukio, everyone, they all looked down on him, telling him he couldn't become an exorcist because he was a screw up.

Tears spilled from his eyes as he stared silently into his hands. A wave of hopelessness washed over Rin and a small sob broke past his lips. Then, one after another, they slipped out. He didn't know why all these feelings were appearing all at once. He supposed it was just a build up of sorrow but it hurt more than any fight he had ever gotten into.

All he wanted was to become an exorcist to make Shiro proud and to destroy the man who had murdered him, to destroy Satan. He could only do this if he passed his classes, passed the ExWire exams, and showed that he could do something right for once. And yet, with the way everything was turning out, he was only proving they were right. He was a mess up, a mistake with no place in the world. He could feel the words of everyone who had insulted him grating his ears and their eyes were burning holes into his body. Mephisto's voice rang in his ears as he criticized Rin in front of Shiro's grave, as he discouraged his ambition and belittled him. But the clown was right. This road was difficult, this road was painful. With every pressure that came with it, Rin didn't see a way for him to get through it. He felt like he was going to fail, he felt like he had already failed. Rin sunk deeper into these hopeless, self-loathing thoughts till the same voice that had just haunted his mind startled him.

"Okumura-kun?" Mephisto's voice came from behind him. Rin's head shot up and he jumped up and flipped around to stare mortified at the clown. Tears still ran down Rin's face and he was fully aware of the small pathetic noises that escaped his throat. Mephisto sent a questioning look to the salty drops of despair, a pink umbrella twirling mindlessly at his side. The teen wiped at the traitorous tears furiously, wishing a hole would just open up below his feet and swallow him whole. His face reddened as embarrassment gripped him. Rin tried to stammer out an excuse but only a choked sob came out of his lips. He growled, clearing his throat, mentally cursing at the clown who simply stared, amused and befuddled, at him.

"What're you doing here?" Rin's voice was gravely and weak from maluse, making his embarrassment grow even stronger. He could see the amusement in Mephisto's eyes and felt rage spread through his body. Rin hated that look. It made him feel insignificant and it was a look Mephisto sent him often, as if everything Rin did was a joke or a game to him. A grin appeared on the older man's face as he moved forward, his umbrella now being used as a mock cane.

With each step Mephisto took forward, Rin took a step back. He didn't want to be near the man. He felt worthless enough at the moment without the clown coming to find amusement in his pain.

"The better question, my dear boy, is what are you doing here? Particularly, what are you doing here crying?" Mephisto laughed lightly, his voice filled with mock disapproval. Rin sneered at him. This was the demeaning attitude he expected from everyone especially Mephisto but it seemed to hurt a lot more coming from the wacked out principal. Perhaps it was because Mephisto had a way about him that made Rin feel like he was standing in no man's land. Rin could never tell what the other demon was thinking and it made him feel frightened and interested all at the same time. The man as infuriating and yet some how soothing. Rin shook his head, attempting to clear of it of evermore confusing thoughts. He was tired of thinking and just wanted to be left alone to cry and wallow in self-loathing.

"As if it's any of your business. Just go away." Tears reappeared in Rin's infinite eyes and Mephisto truly became worried. He would see the storm clouds brewing beneath their depths. He watched his younger brother battle in his mind through those eyes and felt a tug at the core of his empty heart. Though, Mephisto never claimed to be affectionate towards the boy, whether he was family or not, he still somehow felt obligated for Rin's well being. As such, whatever was hiding and festering within Rin's mind was to be considered volatile and a threat to his baby brother's health and as such a worry for Mephisto. He was after all his guardian and, despite the fact Shiro and Mephisto had their differences, they were still friends and Mephisto had still promised to protect the twins.

"I'm concerned, honest. Please, you may talk with me about whatever it is that is making you cry so loudly. You may find that I can even help." He persuaded, smiling sickly sweet, his fangs shining in the light of the moon. He had hoped his worry would not be cast off as insulting or false. However, from the burst of violet and crimson within Rin's expressive eyes Mephisto knew he would be getting nowhere fast.

"As is you care!" Rin's fists curled, his embarrassment at being caught in such a weak state bothered him immensely and only fueled his anger. He felt like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Mephisto's face was filled with concern but Rin knew it was simply an act, another part of the game that the older demon played with every part of his life. Him appearing here tonight to catch Rin crying was simply another ploy against the boy to make him into even more of a pawn to be tossed around and toyed with. Rin was always being forcibly guided and shoved into situations that weren't his choice, that only benefitted others under the guise of 'it's for your own good.'

"As if anyone cares." Rin's face was downcast, his hair covering his eyes. His voice rang with the need to cry. He was so tired of being tormented by things that weren't his choice. He didn't choose to be the offspring of Satan, he didn't choose to be powerful, he didn't choose to burst into flames when he was emotional, he didn't choose to be so emotional that if anything he cherished was damaged he'd go berserk. Rin felt so powerless and hopeless in the shit wave that always seemed to berate him. His heart hurt, his head hurt, he hurt. Little clear gems of this hurt fell onto his cheeks again and he gave up on stopping it. Yet, with each drop, he cursed himself, he cursed himself to Gehenna and back.

Mephisto frowned. He didn't like what he was seeing from the boy. Rin seemed so tortured and the anger and sadness behind his eyes made the older demon cringe. He was emotionally unstable and if something were to tip him over the edge, Mephisto feared that it would spell disaster for his plan and everyone within the boundaries of his school. Mephisto had been observing him carefully the past few weeks and, as of yet, he had seemed fine. Overall, the older Okumura twin had been acting like a happy, eccentric boy whose only trouble had been staying awake in class. Yet, here the little Satan spawn was crying on a rooftop in the middle of the night, looking very unhealthily emotional and distressed by whatever it was he was bottling up inside. Mephisto's rotted heart had given a heave at the sheer look of desperation coming in waves off the boy when he had first locked eyes with Mephisto. Mephisto stared at the distraught little demon as he cried and fought back sobs.

The sight made his heart clench and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He felt chills go up his spin and his body seemed to grow a mind of its own as it moved forward. His hand threaded itself through Rin's onyx hair, making the boy freeze, breath stopping entirely. Time around the two stood still as if a curse had been cast over it.

The younger demon didn't look up, paralyzed by the hand atop his head. Warmth radiated from the hand. The last time someone had done this gesture to him was the day before Shiro died. The familiarity of the gesture made the tears flow even harder. This feeling of warmth had originally come from his father. His father who was gone and it was all his fault. He had weakened Shiro, said awful things to him that plagued Rin's dreams and made him hate himself.

Finally, a pair of sapphire eyes looked up at Mephisto. They gushed tears even more so now than ever, they were unfocused not seeing Mephisto, not seeing anything, caught up in their own screening of what looked to be painful memories. The older demon was about to walk away, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the situation; however, as he moved to pull away, Rin collapsed into his chest. His soft sobs had turned into hysteric wails within seconds as a mixture of cries for his father and apologies fell from those young, pale lips. Rin gripped onto the front of Mephisto's suit, holding to it as if it was his anchor.

Mephisto stared at the boy in confusion and surprise, hands limp at his sides, the one having dropped from the boy's hair. He did not know how to handle this situation. He had never dealt with children, never had a son of his own, never had a stable mate in order to even conceive children with. The art of intimacy and comforting outside of instinctual pleasure was ground he had never tread and ground he had never planned to tread.

Perplexed, the older demon tentatively put his hand back on the boy's head, that was now buried into his blouse. This seemed to ease some of the sobbing which perplexed him even further. Treating this as an experiment, Mephisto placed another hand across Rin's back and waited for the sobs to decrease.

When they did, he felt a swell of fascination at the human body's need for physical contact in times of distress. However, this discovery did not make the embrace any less exceedingly uncomfortable, though it was not altogether unpleasant. The older demon had never participated in such an embrace and as such it was engaging.

Yet still, the two demons stood in the awkward, simulated embrace, neither quite sure how to end it and as such making it more or less a formality. One sought comfort blindly, the other sought to get away now that the intrigue of the human-demon hybrid and his tormented emotions had faded. Rin finally ceased his crying, the air around them stilling into an unearthly silence.

Clearing his throat, Rin leaned back having realized what he had just done and who he had done it in front of. He felt more horrified than he had ever felt before. The color drained from his face and he could not help but let out a gasp. He backed away, not daring to look into Mephisto's eyes as his purple gloves hands dropped away from the retreating form of his student. Rin let his bangs cover his eyes once again, feeling as if they were his only defense against the world right now.

"Go. Now. Get away from me.." Rin's words took Mephisto by surprise and he tried to speak but Rin don't allow for it. "Get away from me.." There was a tone in younger man's voice that made the thousand year old demon stop with any protest and oblige.

"Very well. I have things to attend to anyways. Take care of yourself, Okumura-kun.." Mephisto began to walk away but stopped and turned to look at the boy. The blue of his hair shone in the moonlight, dancing in the soft breeze. Mephisto mentally urged the teen to look up, not wanting to push him. He could tell the war that raged inside Rin was absolutely overpowering. But he hoped his gaze and its silent plea would be slightly more so.

Mephisto knew the hybrid had every right to be depressed and aggressive. He did not discount the younger demon's character for that. However, for some reason that Mephisto himself could not fathom, he had the urge to help the boy. With this thought in mind, Mephisto wanted Rin to look him in the eye when he offered help to the boy so he could understand the sincerity behind his offer of help.

By some stroke of luck, Rin gave into the urge to look up, growing tired of the green orbs piercing into face. The young demon's face was red with tears, exhaustion, and embarrassment, yet Mephisto still donned a joker's toothy grin at the sight of his seemingly favorite pair of scientifically puzzling eyes. Those eyes seemed calmer and it gave Mephisto a breathe of relief as he spoke, "Please do remember that as your principal, I am obliged to hear any complaints or requests for help. And also as your guardian, I am doubly invested in your well being. Please drop by when you feel it necessary." With that said, the older demon turned away and disappeared off the side of the building as he was prone to do.

As the obnoxious suit of white and pink vanished, Rin felt his legs go numb and he collapsed once again. The weight of his thoughts, of the past few weeks, and of the past few minutes dropped onto him, like floodgates of tension opening and letting exhaustion rush out. Yet this time, there was no one to catch him. He fell onto the cement of the roof, out cold before he had even hit the ground. A snore left his lips that oddly sounded like 'Mephisto'.

The next morning, Rin was awoken on the roof by an annoyed Yukio. Sleep plagued his eyes and brain. It had been a fitful sleep and he was in no way ready to wake up. Yukio, however, had other plans. He shook his demon brother's shoulder, earning himself a glare and a yawn. Rin sat up, wiping at his eyes, feeling as if he hadn't slept in ages. He had dreamed all night long, never having a moment where his brain settled. His brain pounded heavily in his skull and his body ached from the hard ground he had slept on. Every part of him felt sluggish, each movement feeling as if it was through tar. Rin looked to his brother, who stared disapprovingly at him, arms crossed like a cynical Sunday school teacher.

"Get up, nii-san! You're late for class. One of the teachers pulled me out of regular classes in order to question where you were. Do you realize how worried I was?" Yukio fussed like a mother hen, his voice switching from angry to worried periodically. Rin's mind registered his worry and almost felt bad. However, in light of all that was berating his heart and mind, the demon teen felt as if he couldn't spare an ounce of energy worrying for someone else, even his brother.

"Sorry, nii-san. I came up here last night and I guess I just.." There was a pause, Rin wondered why he was lying to his brother about just coming up here. It had been far more just coming up here. He wanted to have Yukio's support in this. If Rin could trust Mephisto, he felt he could trust Yukio too, or at least he thought he should be able to trust Yukio. But, he also didn't want to burden him. Yukio was already a full time exorcist as well as a student as well as a teacher. Yukio didn't need Rin's worries to pile on top of his. Shaking his head, Rin finished his sentence, being as vague as he could. "..fell asleep."

Yukio cast him an exasperated look before turning and beginning to make his way down the stairwell from the roof. Rin followed absently, stretching and yawning, feeling every bone quake and pop. He let out a sigh of pleasure, grinning. Having let so much tension out the previous night, he felt almost light. His steps weren't so heavy now that sleep had been shaken from them and his heart beat a little easier. And yet, somewhere in his mind, he knew he had only added to his weight. Mephisto's parting words returned to him.

'Please do remember that as your principal, I am obliged to hear any complaints or requests for help. And also as your guardian, I am doubly invested in your well being. Please drop by when you feel it necessary.' The words were so plain and they could apply to Yukio as well but they sounded like there was a direct implication toward Rin. In the way the words were spoken, Rin felt like the older demon had truly felt concern for him. Yet, Rin also knew that there was no way that heartless clown could ever care for anyone, let alone the trouble making spawn of Satan. Though, the idea of Mephisto caring about Rin's well being made the teen feel odd on the inside as if his heart was being poked and prodded by something unwanted yet wanted. Yukio pulled his twin from his absorbing thoughts as they cleared their dorm and walked the few minutes to reach the school.

"Classes will be ending soon, you slept through nearly all of them. You might as well just head to cram school and wait for me and the rest of the group, okay? Don't do anything stupid." Yukio's voice was snide but it had the undertone of adoration he always had for his older brother. Rin stuck his tongue out, muttering a quick 'goodbye, baka' before moving to unlock the nearest closed door.

After teleporting via his skeleton portkey, he stepped into the long, oddly colored hallway of the cram school and a wave of hapless loneliness hit him. He attempted to shove the feeling away, heading into the Yukio's empty classroom and sitting in his usual seat. The feeling however crept back into his head, causing his mind revert into a reflective state. Rin felt as if most of his days were spent contemplating now. They were no longer the simple instinctual days he was used to back when Shiro was alive, when Rin wasn't suddenly the spawn of Satan, and when his biggest worry was just staying out of trouble. These days required thought, meditation, and decisiveness versus his previous life of fighting and surviving. The teen missed those days and yet he didn't. He enjoyed the people he had met as well as the experiences he had earned. Yet, he wished it wasn't so difficult. There were all these nooks and crannies, twists and turns he had to search and navigate. It was tiresome and he was constantly being toyed with. Satan lay in wait with his army of demon footman constantly attacking him and then there was Mephisto tormenting him in his sick, living puppet show. Rin often blocked out these thoughts as they began to complicate and entangle themselves. He did so now, knowing it was no good to get worked up just before class. He already had enough of a hard time concentrating without thinking like a depressed, socially outcast teenager.

Instead, Rin taped his fingers on the desk, humming and sighing periodically. It distracted his one track mind for a moment, lifting the black fog from his brain.

However, now that Rin wasn't absorbed in his own dramatically dark thoughts, time seemed to move slowly. He grew impatient, wondering when the others would finally file through that door. He felt as if he would rather be in his normal classes than sitting here doing nothing trying to fight off the invading demons of his mind.

As time drifted on, a different type of mental demon appeared. Rin's anxious mind's eye began to wander to the night before, recalling how he had fallen into Mephisto. The way he had simply toppled into the man's chest, displaying a moment of weakness that he had never before let anyone see outside of his father and his brother, mortified him. Rin's faced mimicked a tomato as the moment he collapsed played through his mind on loop. He could not deny that he had much prefered Mephisto's torso to the cold hard ground. But the embarrassment of having the older demon not only allow him to sob obnoxiously and uninhibited into his body but to also place a hand on his head and back in an open invitation of amenity was far too much for Rin to handle. It uprooted far too many distressing and unnerving feelings within the boy, ranging from horror to surprise to contentment. The last being one that had astonished him the most and confused him beyond belief.

When Mephisto had rested his hand upon Rin's head, it reminded him far too much of how Shiro had comforted him on more than one occasion in his childhood. It had eased a large amount of the restless and unbearable anguish that had filled him, setting him more at ease. The second hand that had gently, cautiously laid itself across Rin's back calmed the heavy weeping and laments for his 'tou-san'. The red faded from Rin's face as he leaned his chin into his hand, gazing down at the polished wood of the desk before him. A burst of appreciation bloomed in his chest as he thought of how his break down would have felt if he had been alone without Mephisto's bewildering and baffling comfort. He felt the urge to thank the man.

However as his mind explored how such an act would play out, he decided against it. The clown would probably laugh in his face and use it as some kind of taunt or ploy against him. Rin frowned angrily, his skin pulling taut from the palm that still held his chin, his resent for the man and his games coming back with new vigor, the appreciation he had felt leaving as quick as it had come.

"Chh, baka."


	4. That's What Deception Does

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the regular academy, the fixation of Rin's thoughts returned the favor. Mephisto sat in his chair, staring at a large amount of paperwork that he was supposed to have done on the progress of the pages as well as whether to confirm their ExWire exams a few weeks from now or to prolong their training. Mephisto had honestly started his paperwork with all intention of finishing quickly and efficiently with plenty of time for tea at noon.

However, as the clock ticked past one, his mind was caught up with his most curious little brother. The boy was so feral and raw in his emotions, open to sharing and objectifying his opinions as he saw fit without parameters. The outrageous teen was entirely his opposite. Where Rin would happily fly into action without reservation in a very gung-ho manner, the older demon felt that flying into action was foolish, resolute in the idea that each step required careful calculation and time to move all the pieces into place to ensure success. His excessive planning gave him a unique sense of omnipotence in which he basked in, loving the feel of being in total control without unplanned interventions and interferences. Yet, in the same sense, he didn't enjoy being so far ahead of everyone. It left no room for shock and pleasure outside of the amusement of pulling at the strings of those caught in his marionette schemes.

That is, until his older Okumura twin came into the picture. The child was filled with infinite surprises that defied each side of his birth in turn. Truly, he was a mixture of contradictions that captivated Mephisto far more than any experiment he had ever conducted. The boy eluded the madness and evil of his demonic heart while thwarting the corruptibility and demand of his human body.

In truth, Rin was a picture of virtue, naivety, and innocence aside from the obvious strains and desires of the teenage brain. And this only added to the sheer contrast between Mephisto and Rin that drove the older demon partially mad with unanswered scientific and philosophical questions. The events from the previous night had only enhanced his curiosity, unveiling a new level of mystery within his little demon enigma.

'Tou-san..tou-san..come back..' Rin's muffled cries replayed in Mephisto's mind. The weakness the younger demon had shown was fascinating. It was not often Mephisto had seen such weakness, most in his presence took extra care to guard their feelings from his watchful eye. The boy was more distraught than the King of Time had ever seen anyone before and the sheer magnitude of his depression pulled a sense of brotherly concern from Mephisto that he had never felt for any of his brothers. It was nearly terrifying in how unfamiliar and strange the feeling was.

His curiosity peaked as he stared out the window, seeing the object of his intense speculation strolling exhaustedly beside his glass-wearing counterpart. It was quite late in the day for them to be heading into the Academy and very early in the day for them to be heading to cram school. A laugh escaped from his lips as he leaned into his palm, watching the boy who seemed too tired to even hide his tail, though he was in plain sight of the Academy's windows. The older demon's laughter came to a halt, peering at the tail as if he could hide it with his eyes. A tick formed in his eyebrow as Rin parted from his brother, turning his back to the school and standing there for a moment, his still tail flickering behind him. Mephisto shook his head and closed his eyes, feeling a vein work it's way to the surface of his forehead, the boy's careless manner was going to expose his true identity in no time.

Mephisto opened his eyes, seeing the boy was now gone. Hopefully, no one from the school had seen the wandering child with a long, black, wriggling appendage sprouting from the base of his spine. The key word being hopefully. A plan began to form in his brain, stemming from the need to preserve his plans for his little brother and feed his own curiosity at the puzzle like brother he indeed had. A scheming smile spread across his face.

Rin walked out of his dorm on time the next morning. He stretched and yawned, looking up at the morning sky. Yukio was still inside, not skipping breakfast like his brother. Rin's stomach felt uneasy for some reason, making it hard to eat or think. He let out a sigh, scratching his head and beginning to walk to the academy, his tail slipping to tuck itself around his waist.

The demon made his way into his homeroom, lounging in the desk closest to the windows and farthest from the front. Sitting in a seat by the windows made him feel like a manga hero, one of the really cool ones who simply stared out the window, looking attractive and aloof, waiting for something awesome to happen. Every manga he had ever read, the main super awesome guy always looked out the window. And good things always came to him, unlike in Rin's shit storm of a life.

Rin's day dreaming of what his life would be like had he become an attractive manga character who gets the girl and saves the day distracted him through half of class before a piece of paper smacked him in the forehead. He let out a yelp, rubbing his forehead. His loud interruption led to him receiving many confused and annoyed looks from his snotty peers and a reprimand from his doddering sensei, causing his face to grow crimson and heated. The class' attention turned away from him and he picked up the offensive piece of paper. It was folded in the shape of a football with English sprawled all over it. Rin stared at it, perplexed, before unfolding it.

Fortunately, his English was fairly decent, even considering how boring his English sensei was in middle school as well as the one at True Cross. It read in looping, calligraphic writing:

Pay attention, Rin.

P.S. I can see your tail wriggling beneath

your shirt. I would suggest being more

careful. Somebody might see it.

Rin instantly stilled his unconsciously shifting tail and looked around for the note's sender. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Whom ever it was, they were watching him closely and they had seen his tail. He could practically feel Yukio and Mephisto's wrath heating the air around him for such a slip up. A regular student knowing about his secret could spell his death; or worse, getting kicked out of the exorcist program.

An older looking teen in a desk close to him caught his eye. The boy was staring very pointedly at him with a large arrogant grin across his face. Rin guessed it was this shoulder-length, obnoxiously bright yellow-haired boy who had tossed him the note. The guy's fiery orange eyes stared at Rin amusedly in a way that seemed familiar. Rin narrowed his eyes, pointing at himself then the paper then at the boy, who nodded, confirming it was from him. The young demon frantically jotted down a reply:

Who are you? How do you know about me?

He folded the paper into a square and flicked it at the blonde's desk. He read the note, his smile growing into a full blown grin.

Mephisto couldn't believe how easy it was to throw Rin's guard up and grab his attention. Mephisto was satisfied that in this form he could get to know his ward in ways he could not in his true form. He could get the other boy to trust him, befriend him, learn from him, listen to him, all as easy as taking candy from a baby. It was truly going to be a fun experiment in manipulation.

The older demon paused before sending a reply back on another football-shaped note. He didn't know if it was really a good idea to use his true name as a mock alias. If Yukio or one of the professors were to recognize him by his true name, Samael, the disguise would be worthless in trying to improve Rin's grades and performance. Mephisto shook his head, deciding his true Demon King name was buried enough to not ring any bells in any of the exorcists. He wrote back to Rin:

Samael Thyme. I am knowledgeable in many things.

Rin scowled and glared at this 'Samael' character. He quickly scribbled another reply.

Baka, how do you know my secret?

Mephisto laughed in his much softer, young, fake voice and turned slightly to catch Rin's eyes. He had the full intention to get the boy to tolerate him and even enjoy him enough to be his acquaintance, and thus, be able to keep tabs on him at all times. But he figured he could have a little fun and be a little obnoxious along the way. He didn't get to be childish very often and, if he was going to be stuck back in a teenage body, he was going to soak up the privileges.

Rin was looking back at him, completely bewildered and Mephisto repressed the urge to laugh again. He was quite ready to toy with his ward while he kept such a close eye on him. Mephisto let his own tail peak out from beneath his white school shirt, assuring that Rin could only catch a glimpse of it before hiding it again as if it had never been there.

If Rin knew he was a demon to, it would pique the boy's interest and make him even more interested and confused. Mephisto, or Samael in this form, chuckled a bit as Rin's eyes widened and brows raised as if questioning the validity of the appendage that had peeked out from beneath that thin, white fabric.

'Samael' shrugged and turned away from Rin, completely ignoring the dumbfounded look upon the Okumura's face as well as several questioning notes that were sent flying at him throughout the remainder of class. Rin could have sworn he had seen a tail slipping out of Samael's shirt and he was entirely sure he was going crazy because it was impossible for another humanoid demon to be attending True Cross. Well, not impossible, but he would have heard something about it from Yukio or one of the other exorcist in charge, or at the very least, Mephisto. And if this kid was a demon, that would mean he was a very powerful one. Or at least, from his understanding of the demon hierarchy, the only demon humanoids were the offspring of very powerful demons who were able to cross between Gehenna and Assiah, such as Satan.

All these thoughts were put into question form and sent flying at Samael's head; however, the mysterious teen seemed to be focused on whatever it was the teacher was saying. Rin's questions were left unanswered all day even though the two teens had every class together and sat within feet of each other in every single one. Rin had tried to question Samael multiple times but the blonde disappeared quickly after every class and seemed to magically pop into his desk just as the bell rang. He also ignore any notes shot at the back of his head, which was pissing Rin off. By the end of the school day, the spawn of Satan had become extremely annoyed with the enigmatic teen and sought the source of his rage out before cram school started.

However, no amount of scouring uncovered Samael until Rin rushed into Yukio's classroom just as his twin began lecturing. His blonde target was sitting in one of the center rows alone, ignoring Rin and looking at Yukio in anticipation. Yukio gave his brother a miniature lecture as well as a disapproving frown before ordering him to sit down. The scolded noiret took his normal seat by Sheimi, settling in and listening to his brother's droning with innate, uncharacteristic attention in order to avoid punching or cussing at the kid behind him.

Yet, when a note from the infuriating guy hit Rin in the arm, his fury subsided, evolving to curiosity and satisfaction, or well, hope, that Samael was going to answer his questions.

I hope you are paying very close attention to the names of the healing herbs and their specific uses. They will be on the ExWire written exam. Just saying.

Exasperation hit Rin and he felt a vein pop in his forehead. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and frustration, writing back asking how Samael knew what would be on the exam as well as why the teen had been ignoring Rin up until now before casually tossing his hasty note over his shoulder when Yukio turned his back. Samael caught it absently while Suguro, Shura, and Konekomaru watched the exchange of notes questioningly.

A minute later, a tiny scrap was sent spiraling back at Rin, who grabbed it before it skidded off the table.

I told you I was knowledgable in many things.

Rin scowled again, hating how aloof the other teen was trying to be. He wrote back, viciously chucking the poor piece of paper at Samael.

Who the hell are you, baka? And I don't mean your name.

A stifled chuckle came from behind him as well as another note. Mephisto knew this was definitely going to get Rin's attention and he reveled in the fun of his new game.

I am a demon.

Bright blue eyes rolled, the word 'duh' appearing in his mind while remembering the tail that had sprouted from the other teen's behind earlier. Rin turned to stare at the boy behind him. He took notice for the first time of Samael's ears and smiling fangs, confirming that this was most definitely a demon and that this was a powerful demon who had infiltrated True Cross somehow without raising a single alarm.

This was bad.

Rin's hair bristled and he ground his teeth, fighting the urge to reach for his sword. He wondered why no one but him had noticed the infiltrator or, if the others knew, why he hadn't been told that there would be a new student of such magnitude here.

Rin's eyes narrowed dangerously, the purple in his irises that Mephisto had noticed the other night growing a deep shade of red. Samael, a.k.a. Mephisto, suppressed a smile and winked, making his escape from Rin's angry, bewildered eyes as Yukio dismissed the class. The older Okumura looked at his brother in surprise, not having realised class had gone by so quickly. The twin gave him a confused look but Rin had already jumped up and rushed after Samael, intending to get answers and knocking into Kamiki and Sheimi in the process. He heard a yelp of anger and a cry of concern, shouting an apology over his shoulder as he rushed after the blonde demon, wondering if he should have grabbed Yukio to come with him to catch the infiltrator. Samael entered a side door in the long cram school hallway, letting out a cackle.

Rin barged through the random door, skidding to a stop with haughty eyes, chest heaving slightly and hand ready to let Kurikara out. His target sat unaffected on a desk, a smirk spread across his pale face.

"How did you get into True Cross, dammit? Who are you?" Rin asked, his voice was loud and piercing in a way that reminded Mephisto of their father. Mephisto took note of the intrigue and anger in Rin's eyes, knowing he had best explain himself before he pushed the boy too far. He wanted to make the boy his friend not his enemy no matter how fun making Rin mad was or how easy it was.

Though, he was sure he could push a little more, Rin seemed to respond to anger better anyway. Seeing as it's a feeling Rin's extremely familiar with, Mephisto wasn't surprised.

Samael shrugged and smiled, shaking his head patronizingly.

"Haven't I already told you? I'm Samael Thyme, a demon. I'm your classmate from now on. And, obviously, I got in because I'm a student here to learn." He yawned, giving Rin a droopy eyed look. "You really don't pay attention, do you? No wonder you're failing your classes, or at least from what I've heard from other students, you are. You're just the class clown."

Rin growled and lunged to punch the infuriating blonde in the face. He was easily evaded, being left reeling to catch himself from falling into the desk the boy had been sitting on. Rin turned and glared at Samael who was laughing at the Okumura's clear irritation. Samael's laughing subsided as he sat on another desk and crossed his legs. Mephisto decided it was time to stop and lay out his true intent before Rin got too enraged.

"You know," he began, "If you're having trouble, I could tutor you for the ExWire exam. And I could look out for you at the Academy since you're so good at trying to blow your cover." Mephisto stared at the boy who seemed dumbfounded by the offer, his fisted hands unclenched and his mouth dropped.

Rin made motions to speak but couldn't find words for the idiocy he was hearing. The mysterious kid in front of him was clearly a nut case, showing up out of no where, knowing his secret, calling him an idiot, pissing him off, then offering to help him as if he hadn't just done all that. Rin almost felt the need to laugh at the insanity of it and crossed his arms, glaring.

"Tutor me? Look out for me?" Rin's face was a mixture of interest, disbelief, and, fading but present, anger. "Chh, baka," he replied. "Why would I want your help? Why are you here? I'm supposed to be the only demon at True Cross, at least student wise."

"I wanted to go here, I talked to Mephisto, paid my tuition, here I am." Samael snarkily replied, leaning back and forth on his perch.

"Fair enough. Then, why do you want to tutor me? You don't know me. You called me stupid. You've missed an entire month of classes and yet you think you know more than me over this stuff, you cocky bastard. You've been a jerk the entire day I've known you!" Rin glared and threw his hands up exasperatedly. Samael tapped his chin as if milling over Rin's words.

"I suppose you're right on some of that but, you see, I already know most of this stuff and I'm just here for the certification. And as for not knowing you and what not, we're both demons which instills camaraderie and I'm a nice guy so I'm happy to help out a fellow struggling classmate." Samael smiled a softer smile than he had before, hoping to warm the boy up to the idea of accepting his help. Rin looked as if he was thinking it over and Samael felt his tail began to wiggle in anticipation.

If Rin said no, Mephisto's plan would take longer to put into play and he would be disappointed in himself for ruining his experiment because he wanted to enjoy some childish taunting.

However, Rin surprised him.

"Okay. But, only because I really don't understand most of my classes," Rin said, assuring the boy knew he was still suspicious of him. Samael raised his hands in surrender.

"Use me as you will, Okumura-kun." Mephisto-slash-Samael hopped off of the desk he had been perched on and held out his hand to his ward-slash-tutee. Rin gave him a look and Samael rolled his eyes, motioning his out stretched hand a bit to prompt Rin to take it. The boy hesitantly did and Samael beemed. "The deal is made. You can call me Sam, by the way. It sounds a little more normal than Samael." Rin shook his hand and knots built in Mephisto's stomach. Touching Rin's skin like this felt as intimate as their embrace on the roof had felt.

Any form of contact with Rin felt intimate because of its rarity. Mephisto let go of the pale hand for fear he would vomit from the sensation of the soft, human skin against his. Rin nodded as his hand was dropped, staying silent as he gave Samael a continuous suspicion-filled stare. "Well, bye. See you tomorrow, Okumura-kun."

Mephisto walked out of the room nonchalantly, even if his insides were tensing and recoiling as if he had been electrocuted. He couldn't describe the unusualness of the feeling and it befuddled him. He teleported back to his office and transformed back into his regular form. The suspense in his stomach subsided and he chalked up to relief at having Rin follow along with his plan. He had after all had his doubts on Rin's temperament toward another demon. Being Satan's spawn, Mephisto had expected Rin to have inherited his territorial nature and quick-to-anger attitude. One of the two had proven true and Mephisto had expected the other to follow suit.

With a shake of his purple hair, the older demon put his worries and musings to rest, knowing that his plan would work out as most of his plans generally did. He looked forward to experiencing what his ward experienced and seeing everything the boy couldn't hide in normal situations. His experiment would be an interesting one indeed.


	5. It's An Invasive Flower

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

A week passed and the final cram class of the day was dismissed. It was an overcast, muggy Monday and Rin wasn't really interested in doing anything but going back to his dorm and sleeping. A mission on Friday had left him with a few bruises and bumps that needed some tender love and care from his bed.

However, today was the day he and the new kid had decided would be their first tutoring session in the same abandoned classroom they had fought in the week before. Rin grumbled a bit, waving good bye to the rest of the class as they filed out of the classroom and in the opposite direction of him. Rin waited for Samael, who came out last, a pile of books nestled in the crook of his arm. Rin felt anxiety flurry in his stomach like a horde of butterflies being released from his midsection.

"Hullo, Okumura-kun." said the blonde as he fell into step next to his black-haired counterpart. Rin shot a short 'hello' back at him, feeling very awkward as they walked to the empty classroom.

When they got there Sam set his pile of books on the nearest desk and went over to the blackboard to clear it of any dust and grime. Rin stood awkwardly next to the door, his hands shoved into the depths of his pocket. Mephisto noticed this and chuckled, writing a joking 'Mr. Thyme' in cursive across the now clean expanse of black before him. He turned to Rin and motioned for him to sit down at one of the desks. "I don't bite, Okumura-kun. At least, not frequently." He laughed again and only received a half hearted smile from Rin who sat down and pulled out a notebook and pencil. "Alright then.. I'm going to start with what you do know and go over it in a quick review. So, what are the classes you're doing best in?" Mephisto hoped he could get Rin to feel less awkward around his admittedly forward and annoying disguise by talking about simple, non personal things.

"Well, I'm not really doing well in any of my classes. But I'm doing best in Pharmaceuticals and Physical Ed. I'm only doing well, or well for my standards, in Pharmaceuticals because Yukio hounds me to do my homework and won't let me sleep till I do. Which I guess is a good thing." Rin leaned his cheek into his hand, feeling as if this was going to be a very bad and boring idea. Samael shook his head and moved forward to drop a book in front of his mock student.

"Then let's begin from Chapter One of Pharmaceuticals and find what you do and do not know." Rin groaned and Samael laughed. "Alright so first topic, naming the medicinal plants and their purposes." The blonde paused looking at Rin expectantly. A long pause passed and Rin opened and closed his mouth a few time, a red blur dusting his cheeks.

"Uh.. Aloe vera which heals burns. And lavender which relieves pain and is an… antiseptic?" The noiret's voice was hesitant but he was correct. The two demons went back and forth like this for the rest of the evening. Rin listing herbs and plants then struggling to name their purpose. Mephisto was pleasantly surprised to find that Rin knew medicinal herbs fairly well and, while not confidently, understood their purposes.

Rin was surprised to find that he did know the material and that Samael wasn't such a bad tutor. He found he didn't mind the reprimands for being wrong because unlike with Yukio they were light-hearted with no real bite behind them. The blonde didn't make him feel stupid even when he knew that his answer was ridiculously dumb or ridiculously wrong. The amiable air between the two was nice and Rin felt as if he hadn't been so calm and had someone treat him with such patience and kindness since the old man died.

These thoughts ran through his head as they packed up for the night, the sun's rays disappearing quickly from the window of the abandoned classroom. Rin closed his already substantially filled notebook of extra review notes and got up. Samael smirked as Rin yawned and chuckled, placing the books they had used on a shelf at the far end of the room.

"Tired, Okumura-kun?" Mephisto said, giving the boy a droopy eyes look as he rejoined him by the door. Rin felt that surge of familiarity again at the sight of the lazy expression but once again couldn't place it. He nodded to the boy's question and stretched, a smile playing across his face.

"Exhausted actually." The two demons left the room and wandered out into the setting sunlight. The sky was a burnt orange color that matched the color of Samael's eyes perfectly. Their similarity, however, wasn't quite as pronounced as Rin would have thought. The sky didn't have the depth and the fire that Samael's reflected as they strolled together back to the main campus. Rin was surprised at having noticed the little finite details such as Samael's eye color and the flecks of other colors mixed into it.

With a shake of his head, he swept the thoughts away, stopping as they reached the main entrance of the Academy. "Well, thank you for all this, you know, tutoring me and junk. I'm not the brightest student." Rin blushed absently, scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly. The blonde in front of him nodded and smirked.

"That's definitely true-" He let out a laugh as Rin glared at him. "-but you're not all that bad. See you tomorrow, Okumura-kun." There was another glare shot in Samael's direction as he turned away and walked towards the main dormitories.

"Later, asshole." Rin shot back, turning in the direction of his own dorm. "Chh." He felt his annoyance at the blonde grow and deflate at intervals as he thought about the enigma that was his tutor. Nothing about the boy really threw him off into a complete rage but he had an annoying personality and a cocky demeanor.

Which all though those two things were definitely enough to piss Rin off, Samael also had a patient air about him, an intelligent mind, and a quick wit. All-in-all, Rin could say he had never met anyone like the other teen. He wasn't a bad person but he wasn't a good person. That was putting aside the fact that the boy was a demon just the same as him, meaning he had to have some form of darkness inside him. A demon of whom he knew nothing about and knew nothing of his past. It was risky for Rin to be close to Sam. The twin didn't know if the demon was associated with Satan and just spying on him or if Sam really was just a student here to learn.

Rin really was curious as to who the boy was, where he came from, who his demon parent was, why he was here, what type of exorcist he wanted to be. He had never wanted to figure someone out as much as he wanted to figure out Samael.

A laugh rippled past Rin's lips as he thought about how elated his brother would be if Rin put as much thought into his studies as he was the identity of their strange classmate. Rin paused in his walk just outside the twins' dorm. He looked up at the sky, it's orange colors having faded to dark blues and blacks.

Staring up at the black, he felt like he really should put that much thought into his studies. If he was going to do this tutoring thing and put that effort in, then why not all his effort. He was never one who put much thought into school and academics but this was different. He was learning in order to help people, not just to earn a diploma. Rin felt passion for exorcism, for helping others, for defending others, for protecting his friends and for making Satan pay for everything he had done to hurt him. He could only do all those things if he did well in cram school. He needed to change his way of doing things, to actually try in school, to put his all into it. He knew he could do it, at least with Samael's help.

The boy smiled, feeling resolved, and opened the door to his dorm. He would try to ace his classes, to be the brainiac his brother was, to not be the class idiot, to be the best of the best in everything, including academics.

Rin arrived at his dorm room and laid across the bed, his mind reeling over his new found resolve and his new found classmate. He felt like there was so much for him to do now, so much to focus on, so much to drive for. He felt ready to take on the road. He felt hyped and, at the same time, he felt exhausted. His anticipation for everything he needed to accomplish for the ExWire exam raced through his heart and body. It made his mind tired and his body tense. With a yawn, he rolled over.

"I will do better." Confidence surged through him as he whispered this. He knew he could do well. He'd show anyone who doubted him and he'd prove himself to the old man. He'd make Shiro proud.

With these final thoughts, the onyx-haired teen drifted to sleep. Somewhere in his dreams, he could feel this new desire and will to be better. It was a warm feeling. It was a good feeling. Why he hadn't decided this before he reached the kind of state he had been on the roof the other night he didn't know. But, thanks to his strange new classmate, he'd found his resolve.


	6. And The Seeds Always Look Promising

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

The next few weeks passed with a relative lack of chaos. Every Monday evening Samael and Rin spent in the abandoned classroom, studying every topic Mephisto knew would be on the exam.

Some nights they stayed late, eating dinner together while they drilled home concepts Rin didn't quite grasp. Rin grew to tolerate Samael, even enjoying his presence, and Mephisto basked in success as the boy's grades began to climb. They neared the week before exams would start and Mephisto felt Rin was ready. The boy maintained at least a 95% in most of his classes and had begun to pay attention and follow the teacher's lectures, answering questions correctly when asked.

All of Rin's teachers had noticed the improvement and had praised the boy on his turn for the better, even Yukio. His classmates had stopped laughing at Rin for his stupidity at being caught off guard and Rin felt over all satisfied that life was going to be easier from then on. He felt a great appreciation for Sam and his tutoring. It really was making day to day life easier for the boy.

A month passed and Yukio stood before his class of pages, each holding a Bariyon in their laps, the things growing heavier by the moment. They gave each other looks of annoyance. Suguro and Kamiki had gotten them in this mess and thus they got the brunt of most of the stares. Kamiki had been on a raging war path since the night before when she had been unable to protect Paku from a ghoul attack. Bon was the only one angry enough to argue with her and push her buttons and as such their interruptions and bickering had gotten the entire class detention.

The detention was basically just a meditation exercise, as far as anyone but Sam knew.

Yukio finished his speech, something about cooling off and getting along, Rin wasn't exactly paying attention. He was staring at the rock in his lap, already too lost in thought to really question the rock demon's presence. He and Sam were sitting a little ways away from the group, having taken to doing so whenever they were in class. It was just easier to talk about demon related things and their tutoring sessions without having others overhear them. The boy kept flickering glances towards Sam. He'd never had someone who would sit beside him without being asked or forced. He'd never had anyone as close to a friend as Sam either.

The guy was a smart ass as well as just an ass in general. He was snotty and a bit rude. But, somehow, none the less they had become something like friends. Rin couldn't remember ever having had a friend before. Most kids ignored him for being different. Not that he really cared. Well, he sort of cared but not really.

But, Sam was different. He was kind to Rin in his own way. His tutoring and constant reprimanding was helping a lot and Rin couldn't help but feel grateful. And, as they spent more time together, he knew they were more than just asshole tutor and idiot tutee; they were friends.

Said asshole was giving him a confused and amused look and Rin realised he had been staring. The demon blushed deeply and attempted to cover up his embarrassing zone out.

"Uh, so three hours like this, huh? How lame," Rin grumbled, turning his face away from Sam and blushing even deeper as he saw the clear as day expression of 'duh' on the blonde's face. That line was just as lame as this situation, Rin thought to himself ryely. "I sometimes can't believe I'm related to Yukio. I mean, this is just cruel! Three hours of sitting with these damn heavy ass rocks in our laps." Sam took a moment to reply and Rin turned to him. The blonde had a thoughtful expression on his face. He held it for a moment before shrugging.

"I really think this honestly is just cruelty on your brother's part. You certainly can't be half as ferocious as your twin. You're more like a harmless butterfly" the boy quipped. Rin pouted for a moment before sighing.

"You know, it's sad that I actually don't doubt that. He used to be pretty scary when we were kids. And you should see him when i slack off on homework in our dorm. Even though I've been doing better in his class. Stupid four eyes," Rin grumbled again before smiling slightly. "Thanks to my tutor, of course." Sam seemed a little surprised for a moment before smiling a cocky smile.

"But, of course. We all know you couldn't do it on your own. That's why I'm here." Rin snorted at this but chuckled a bit in return. "Those two are bickering again." Sam motioned toward Bon and Kamiki, who were playing a 'who's more to blame game with each other. "They both seem to be from families who are naturals at shouting matches." Rin laughed a bit harder, still attempting to keep a bit quiet so the others couldn't listen in on their conversation, feeling a bit like he didn't want to share his conversations with Sam with anyone else.

"Like demon families are any calmer? Speaking of which, what's your family like? Do demon's actually have families?" He rambled for a moment before realizing what he had said, checking Mephisto's face for any sign of offense. "That came out wrong. I meant like, where are you from? " Rin asked the question innocently enough but Sam seemed to be caught off guard by it. His face didn't change for a moment, blankly holding his partially surprised expression before clearing it over with his usual air of haughtiness that Rin had grown used to.

"Gehenna, of course. A better question would be where do you come from, Mr Human-Son-Of-Satan-From-Assiah?" Sam replied. Rin seemed put off of the idea of asking Sam where he was from, beginning to describe Shiro and the boy's time at the monastery, which was fantastic. Mephisto hadn't quite come up with a backstory for his teen alter ego. He didn't know what Rin knew of demon humanoids. Hopefully, the fact that only Satan had humanoid children and thus Samael would be considered Rin's brother would remain unknown to the boy. If Rin found out, Mephisto would have more lies to entangle his teen alter ego in and this was only supposed to be a short experiment into Rin's daily life and a way of protection for Mephisto's plans.

"The old man was always there for me and all," Rin finished as Mephisto turned his attention back to the boy. The older demon raised an eyebrow at the noiret.

"Even though he kept secrets from you the entire time?" Mephisto tried to ask questions as if he didn't already know the answers and more about the situation than even Rin did.

The younger demon pondered the question for a moment before saying a bit tentatively, "Sure, it would have made everything easier. I grew up being called a demon by everyone. Getting beat up and thrown out of school." He paused, leaning his head away from Sam as if to hide his eyes. Sam almost regretted asking as a mixture of melancholy nostalgia graced Rin's face, though Mephisto never regretted much. "It was lonely at times. But, I also suppose knowing would have been even worse. I would have believed what they were calling me. I would have thought being a demon was a bad thing. A monster more than a person." The way Rin said this made Mephisto a little sure that Rin still thought of his demonic side as a bit monstrous. The older demon couldn't blame him, even if he was a little offended by the boy's distaste for demons. "I wouldn't be where I am today I guess." Rin sighed heavily, the dark expression on his face lingering for only a moment before brightening. "But, really, where are you from? I assume most of the demons in Gehenna know who I am but I don't know who you are? Some son of a powerful demon? Or a half-breed like me?" This all came out in a rush. Mephisto suppressed a frustrated, exasperated growl, mouth instead sputtering to create a cover story.

"It's a bit complic-" he was interrupted by a sudden flickering of the lights before they were all together diminished and the chorus of gasps that came from the students sitting a few feet from Rin and Sam. The latter gave a sigh of relief. "Thank god the test has finally started," he muttered to himself under his breathe. Rin was looking around confused in the same way as the rest of the class but had seemed to have forgotten their conversation entirely.

"What the hell," he exclaimed into the darkness, knocking his Bariyon from his lap with a forced huff. It landed on his foot unceremoniously. He dropped back down onto his bottom, holding the throbbing appendage and giving cries of pain. Mephisto rolled his eyes.

"Wh-What the…? Did Yukio turn the lights off too?" Bon said, glancing around in his usual scowling manner. Konekomaru gave a shake of his head at this.

"No way.. He wouldn't do that, would he?" Koneko looked around, searching everyone's faces but no one really answered him.

Rin stood, his foot ceasing its pained pangs and hand drifting to linger on the hilt of his sword's covering. "I have a bad feeling about this," he glanced around the room, the hairs on his neck standing on end. Sam rolled his eyes at the remark and Bon snorted angrily a little ways from the two demons.

"No, really? Thanks, idiot." Shima gave Bon a chastising look, one similar to the look on Sam's face.

"It could be a power outage, couldn't it?" Konekomaru said, the usual shake present in his high-pitched voice. Kamiki gave a feminine noise of agreement.

"It has to be. Although," the purple-haired girl glanced out the window, having removed her Bariyon from her lap as well. "The lights everywhere else on campus are still on. It could be a-" She was cut off by the door suddenly exploding into the room, shards of wood and debris flying every which way. Everyone moved to shield their faces only to find a large two headed Naberius standing in the shattered doorway when the cloud of dust and wood chips cleared. Mephisto felt the urge to chuckle as the exact fatal verse for this type of Naberius came to mind but suppressed it, holding a shocked expression on his face to match all the other pages.

The moment of surprise did not last long before confusion and fear set in as the creature let out a ghastly wail. The first head, previously just a tattered nub, suddenly exploded, sending black, ghoulish flesh splattering onto the pages who all gave cries of disgust. It revealed another eye and a hideously lip-bare mouth. The foul smelling beast lunged forward, split faces contorted, putrid stench stinging Rin's sensitive demonic nose. This Naberius was the one who had attacked Paku, Rin remembered the scent and the look of its two heads.

A disgusted cringe shot through Rin before he ran into action, shaking the surprise from his body as Kamiki and Shiemi gave out identical cries of fear. The Naberius went for them first, twisted arms outstretched toward their shaking bodies.

Shima's staff and Rin's covered sword caught the beast in its chest, simultaneously, sending the thing smashing backwards. Shiemi scrambled behind them with her Greenman.

In a sudden burst of ingenuity, the little demon let out a winding and twisting root that shielded them from any further attacks by the still downed Naberius. All the pages turned a shocked eye to the girl who she herself seemed as shocked as them, staring at her Greenman with affection and awe.

"Thank you, Shiemi, you saved-," Rin stopped speaking, moving to pat the wooden barrier now between them and the ghoul. His heightened ears caught the sounds of movement. He could have sworn he had seen a root smash through the ghouls chest. He would have thought that was enough to kill the demon but.. "Oh, hell.." he whispered, peeking through the entangled, gnarled roots to see the thing split into two, arms forming where the opposite demon had been till the two were fully formed. They began to dig at the wall. Everyone let out cries of fear and surprise before a fearful silence settled over their group. Mephisto watched the pages intently, wondering what they would do. Bon was the first to speak, attempted authority in his voice that Mephisto couldn't help but want to laugh at. To him, Bon was like a boy scout leader who didn't quite know what he was doing but still liked to pretend to.

"Does anyone know this thing's fatal verse? Konekomaru?" The bald boy gave a shake of his head and Bon made a face. "Well… It's gotta be in-" Bon was interrupted as Shiemi fell to the ground, coughing daintily into her hand.

"I feel.. dizzy.." Her voice was weak, both from exertion and her coughing fit. The rest of the human pages joined in, leaving Rin to stare at them confused.

"W-What's going on? I'm burning up all of a sudden," Bon gruffly said, gripping at his collar. Mephisto gave him a knowing look but didn't answer the boy. No doubt the fumes from the Naberius' rotten flesh had finally gotten to them.

Kamiki rolled her eyes and glared through her coughing fit at Rin, "Doesn't it bother you?" Rin's face contorted into a confused expression and he looked to Sam for help. The blonde rolled his eyes and pointed to his pointed ear, signaling it was a demon thing.

Understanding dawned on Rin's face and he quickly pulled out his emergency cell phone, "Dammit, Yukio." Rin cursed as he dialed his brother's number. It rang for a few moments before going dead. "Shit."

Bon wheezed a bit, covering his nose and mouth to block out some of the noxious gas before glancing at Shiemi. "Once Shiemi's strength runs out, we're all done for." Rin nodded, looking at all the pages as they coughed and sputtered. He gulped a bit. He was the only one aside from Sam who wasn't affected by the fumes and there was no way in hell he was letting his only sort-of-a-friend get killed by a nasty demon like the one tearing at the roots foot by foot. Which meant it was his job to save them. The boy nodded again, closing his eyes to resolve himself before taking a few assured steps toward the root entanglement. Bon's eyes widened only slightly more than Sam's as they looked at the blue-eyed demon beginning to climb atop the first large wooden obstacle.

"W-What the hell do you think you're doing, asshole?!" Bon insulted, his astonishment and irritation clear in his voice.

Rin gave him a look, "I'm going to go out there and get it to follow me. When it does, you guys can find a way to escape." He said this like it was the most obvious plan in the world and Mephisto couldn't help but feel a little astounded at the boy's daft courage.

"Idiot! Are you crazy?" Bon half-yelled, still staggered by Rin's blatant idiocy. Mephisto couldn't help but agree with Bon on this one. He stared at Rin with a mixture of irritation and exasperation. His orange eyes locked with Rin's endless blue and they stayed there for a moment. Sam almost wanted to stop the idiot but he knew it was the best plan for Rin to defeat the other half of the demon without revealing his powers and thus pass the test. The blonde gave a curt jerk of his head and Rin turned away with a cocky smile.

"Don't worry about me. I'm pretty strong, you know?." The blackened-azure haired boy called this over his shoulder as he disappeared among the rough shield, black quickly overtaking his nimble body. Bon seemed to be without words, grinding his teeth together unhealthily. Sam figured he was probably feeling bothered by Rin's heroics. The blonde scoffed and shook his head, knowing Rin could handle himself better away from the humans.

The older demon himself still felt a nagging voice of worry in the back of his mind, however, as he listened intently to the shifting of Rin's clothes as he drew nearer and nearer to the violent clattering of the pair of ghouls' nails sliding easily through the roots' weakening bodies. The rest of the pages began to call out in worry. 'Don't do it', 'Come back', 'Dammit, Okumura'. Sam felt a twitch in his body to go after the boy. Not that he could help in battle. If he were to do anything, it would reveal him to the exorcists stationed around and within the building who were watching the soon-to-be-ExWires. It was better for him to stay here and help with his knowledge of verses, to pretend he was a scrambling student trying to stay alive. But, that didn't kill the annoying need to go after Rin.

"Dammit," Mephisto murmured. He really shouldn't be getting worked up and involved with the boy. He was just a pawn. Just a toy on Mephisto's chess board but..

Sam huffed, giving one last look at the hole his younger brother had disappeared through before turning to the frightened pages. "Well, come on! Don't just stand there like gaping fishes. There's a second one. Didn't you see it split? Rin can only handle one. Start chanting off those verses you're always going on about memorizing, Suguro-kun!" The blonde-brunet looked at the orange-eyed teen in surprise before nodding.

"Konekomaru, we have to take it out with a recital!"

Koneko shook his head, "We don't even know the fatal verse for this thing! How can we even do that?"

"Most fatal verses for ghouls are in the Gospel of John, aren't they?" The punk boy turned toward the approaching groaning of the ghoul pulling out his prayer beads and looping them around one hand. "I've got the entirety of it memorized, how many chapters have you memorized?" Konekomaru's face dawned in realization and pulled out his own beads.

"I've got one through ten memorized! You can recite eleven through twenty one and at some point we've got to reach it. It'll go twice as fast," the bald child scrambled to wrap his beads in his hand, plopping down and beginning to recite without further questioning. Bon began to recite alongside his friend.

Shima gave them both a disbelieving look. "There's more than twenty chapters! How are you going to be able to recite them all before that thing gets to us?" Bon rolled his eyes and looked pointedly at where Shima's staff was hidden while his mouth fired away bible verses. Shima looked to his staff before scratching the back of his head. "Oh, right, I'm not useless, I guess." He pulled up the golden rod from his pocket and extended it, pointing it toward the steadily thinning plant before them.


	7. But Appearances Are Never Everything

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

Rin scrambled through the roots, hearing the sickening moans and groans of the Naberius grow closer. He finally reached the edge of Shiemi's roots, climbing out onto the polished wooden flooring. His eyes caught sight of the disgusting demon tearing away at the plants bit by bit.

With another resolving breathe, he taunted the thing, "Hey, ugly! I'm over here! I'm the one you bastards are after, aren't I? Come and get it." The creature looked at him and howled before giving chase. Rin turned and sprinted, his hand yanking his sword from its covering as he went. The sounds of the demon's deformed dual set of hands and padded set of paws smacking the ground rang in his ears and fear coiled in his stomach.

But, he pushed it away. It wouldn't do him any good to be afraid. He had to get to the power grid and turn the lights on. They would weaken the demons.

"Hn," he muttered to himself encouragingly, forcing himself to sprint a little faster. The Naberius was still hot on his heels. It sounded like only one had followed him but he was sure the others could handle one as well. Or at least he hoped they could.

Rin turned a few corners, hoping his memory of how they had gotten here from turning the power on before their detention began was correct.

Finally, he burst through a set of double wide doors, reaching the basement. The Naberius went flying past him as he stuttered to a halt and twisted to the side of the doors, free hand reaching for the switches. They were all off which meant someone had to have done it. Meaning someone was here with them who wasn't supposed to be.

Just before he could flip the first switch a disgusting, sickeningly slimy, strong appendage wrapped around his neck. It tugged with immense strength and sent him flying back into the basement's cement walls. Rin cried out and fell to the ground, wincing in pain. The Naberius lunged at him, not giving a moment's recovery.

Rin rolled out of the way, dodging two more strikes before getting back to his feet and making a break for the switched once again. The creature, however, wouldn't let up. Rin leapt out of the way of another attack, jumping into the air. But, the Naberius' tongue caught his ankle, yanking him back down to the ground with a deafening crash. Rin felt his body bruise and knew he had to have fractured something. He got no time to feel the pain. The Naberius flew into the air.

To Rin time slowed as he watched the demon come down on him. A wave of anger and fury at the monster's relentlessness flooded his veins and set them alight. Blue flames covered his skin and exploded from his body.

"Don't fuck with me, dammit!" The flames scorched the putrid demon's body and sent it catapulting backwards, a horrible screech leaving its lipless mouth. The thing squirmed on the ground a few feet from the glowing boy before getting to its feet. It did not, however, attempt to go back after Rin, staying perfectly still and staring emptily at him.

"So those are Satan's flames?" A voice came from the darkness.

"What the.." Rin stood from the crouch he had been in, whirling around in search of the voice's source. A man with an eyepatch and nappy, shaggy brown hair stepped forth from the shadows, cast in pale, azure light by Rin's body. The demon teen stepped back in surprise, reaching for his sword.

"No need for that. I don't mean to harm you. I simply needed to lure you out here since you refuse to use your 'power' around others." His voice was deep and seedy. The hair on Rin's arms and neck stood on end. He felt like a cat rearing its back against a dog, trapped in an alleyway. This man gave Rin a bad feeling the same as he had felt earlier. "Rin Okumura.. Son of Satan."

Rin was taken aback as the stranger spat these words at him like venom, eyes widening. The man before him glared viciously, his eyes were filled with so much hate and hurt that Rin couldn't fathom why they would be turned upon himself. He had never met the man before. Had done nothing to him. There was no reason for this asshole to look at him like all the others did in his childhood. Rin's teeth ground together and he glared back.

"How the hell did you find out? Why would a teacher come after me? I'm a student no matter where I come from! You can't jus-" Rin stopped himself as the man smiled a hideously delighted smile. "Bastard! You were behind both the attacks, weren't you?"

For a moment, the teen saw a sliver of madness in the man's eye and it made cold shivers run through him despite the fire burning his skin. "Actually, yes. But, don't bother with that, boy. I want to see more of that 'power' of yours! Show me what the Son of Satan can do!"

With the man's cry, the Naberius reared its head again as if coming to life from its frozen state. Rin's eyes narrowed and he only considered the idea he was playing right into this man's hands for a moment before letting out a snarl. He leapt into the air, bringing his unsheathed Kurikara down onto the creature. The blade embedded itself into the beast's head, slicing in two. It wailed and hissed beneath him, squirming as flames engulfed it from the sword's icy metal.

A final bloodcurdling shriek left the demon's lips before its body spasmed into stillness. Rin jumped off back to the ground and flipped around to glare up at the man, triumph in his blue eyes.

However, there was no longer anyone there. Shock causing his flames to die, he sheathed the unlit sword and stared at the vacant spot the insane man had once occupied. Who was the he? Why had he come after Rin and the other ExWires? Mainly, Rin. The young demon thought back to the insanity in the man's one eye, shivers rolling down his spine. Why had the man seemed so.. bloodthirsty?

Rin shook his head free of the questions as they came back with little answers. He had to help his friends. Running back to the switches, he flipped them on and turned to sprint back to the others. Hopefully, they were alright.

* * *

Back with the rest of the group, Bon chanted the final verses of the final chapter of the Gospel of John. The Naberius' body was half way through the barrier. Shima batted at it with his staff but did little but anger the foul creature. Konekomaru, Kamiki, and the rest of the group shook, feeling helpless in the face of the disgusting demon.

Minus, Sam of course, his thoughts were straying to Rin. The urge to run after the teen, even now, was almost unbearable. He couldn't do anything to help here. And then again he couldn't do anything to help there. It was so frustrating being in this stupid teen body unable to use his immense amount of power. He could easily obliterate this pathetic Naberius without even the flick of his wrist. It would be so simple. Yet, Mephisto had to sit here and pretend he was a frightened little student with no idea what to do. He couldn't wait till the big reveal of this detentions true nature so he could be back in his own body.

His thoughts paused in their spinning pointlessness, however, as Shiemi gave on final sway and collapsed, her Greenman disappearing as well as the roots.

"Oh, shit!" Shima cried out as suddenly the Naberius stood above him, unhindered. The thing gave a frightening shriek, saliva spewing onto the pink-haired teen's face. The rest of the group gave a collective cry, moving back as far as they could against the wall. Bon continued to chant while Konekomaru moved to pull Shiemi's collapsed form as far from the beast as he could. The clinking of metal on metal on flesh beat on their ears as Shima tried desperately to fight the demon off.

Sam listened to the noise and once again fought the urge to do something that could possibly blow his cover. His attention was taken from this urge though as he watched Kamiki shiver violently and stare at the Shima as he tried to 'save' them all. Her thoughts were played out clear in her eyes. She wanted to help but was scared to. He could imagine why. The night before when he and Rin had stumbled in on her and Paku being faced with this same demon, Kamiki had froze up and Paku had gotten hurt while the girl's familiars had turned on her when she displayed weakness.

Mephisto would have to remind himself to have a word with Neuhaus on why his Naberius familiar was preying on Mephisto's students. But that was for a different time.

At the moment, the disguised headmaster knew he could do some indirect meddling and get this lower demon destroyed so he could go find Rin, make sure the boy wasn't hurt, and disappear in time to reappear as his normal self to congratulate the pages.

"Kamiki-kun," Sam moved over to the girl, startling her as he spoke. "If you really want to redeem yourself and prove you can save Paku, use your familiars." The girl turned to look at him in shock before scowling.

"I can't! They'll turn on me again and I'll-"

"No, not if you have some damn conviction, you brat," Mephisto took a breath to calm himself. No use getting so annoyed at an idiotically emotional little girl. "Just call them and force them." She seemed unsure still and Sam suppressed a growl, rolling his eyes. "Now!"

Kamiki nodded after staring him down for a moment, turning and lifting the sheets of summoning paper, calling out, "I humbly appeal to the goddess of Inari. I entreat you to not leave my prayers unfulfilled!" Two wisps of white danced from the papers, rustling them. They morphed into twin foxes before the girl, their faces twisted in glares.

"How dare you summon us again!" One yelled.

"Have you learned nothing, you-" Kamiki interrupted them with a fierce look in her eye, her usual air of haughtiness restored.

"You will obey me!" Her voice rang in Sam's sensitive ears and he picked at the one that had been closest to her. The volume and conviction of her cry wiped the anger from the harvest spirits faces. They stared at her for a moment before bowing their heads and nodding.

Just then the demon sent Shima smashing into the floor, his staff discarded in the opposite direction. The Naberius turned it's gaze on Bon, moving forward to grab him. The boy tensed but the blow never came. Two white blurs had pushed the beast back, beginning to nip and claw at it from every angle and direction. The slow demon swung blindly, giving out a wail of rage when his arms caught only air. Kamiki shouted orders that almost completely covered up Bon's chanting.

Sam listened and realized the blonde-brunet was a verse away from the killing verse. He felt a sense of anticipation and excitement fill him.

Any moment he would be free to find Rin and then give Neuhaus a piece of his mind. Mephisto was quite honestly, for lack of a better word, pissed. Neuhaus was definitely up to something otherwise he would have never led Rin away.

The man had been a survivor of the Blue Night and no doubt probably had sour thoughts toward the son of Satan. Mephisto had known it would probably have been more lucrative to not have the man in contact with Rin but had foolishly disregarded the notion, depending on Neuhaus' professionality to keep him from doing anything stupid.

Clearly, Mephisto was wrong to trust the man to not let his emotions get the better of him as humans tended to do.

Bon's voice pierced Mephisto's inner annoyances as the blonde chanted the final fatal verse, "Then this saying went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die." Kamiki performed a Tamayura Exorcism but the Naberius quickly shook it off even as it began to quake and quiver in the face of its fatal verse. "This is the disciple who testifieth of these things and wrote these things, we know that his testimony is true." The creature made it to Bon this time, gripping onto the boy's head. Mephisto felt himself tense, knowing Bon only had a few more moments before the exorcists hidden in the cupboard and flooring would probably intervene. "I suppose-" The lights suddenly flickered on, flooding light into the room. The creature wailed and sniveled, holding Bon in one hand, swinging the boy around, while the other hand gripped at the beast's face. "I-I suppose th-that even.. the w-world it-itself-" Bon struggled to get the words out properly, his forehead beginning to turn red under the pressure put on his skull. "-could not contain the books.. That should be written!"

With those words, Bon was dropped onto his backside as the demon fought itself to stay in one piece. But the words weaved their way into its spiritual make up, combusting it.

Within moments, the monster was gone, leaving only the pages, panting and shaking in fear in the now lit room. Moriyama came to a bit at the light, a smile on her face as Yukio came into the doorway. Shima deadpanned at their teacher while Bon was helped up by Konekomaru. Shiemi was pulled into a sitting position by Kamiki, the purple-haired girl being uncharacteristically protective of the kimono-wearing blonde after she dismissed her harvest familiars. All the pages stared at Yukio for a moment, shock bare on their faces.

"Oh of course! NOW, you're here!" Shima slumped against the wall, clutching his stomach. There was both a joking tone in his voice and an annoyed edge to it.

Mephisto was the only one left unsurprised as he took his chance to dart for the door while Yukio was followed into the room by Neuhaus. Mephisto suppressed a snarl at the exorcist's presence but neither of the men paid him any mind. Making a mental note to curse Neuhaus to Gehenna later, he moved past the pair and made his way through the doorway.

However, they did pay him attention when Rin smashed into him at a full out run, causing Sam to let out an unceremonious yelp of pain and surprise. The two demons dropped into a pained heap on the ground.

"What the fuck, Sam!" Rin cried out before blinking up at the exorcists who were giving the two very confused, slightly annoyed looks. Rin's eyes moved to find his brother giving him a particularly annoyed look. "What the fuck, Yuk-"

Mephisto pushed Rin off of him onto the floor and stood, interrupting the boy's rant as he brushed off his uniform. He regretted being worried about this idiot teen. Rin sputtered on the ground before standing up as well, glaring at Sam who ignored the glare in favor of staring a bit past Yukio. Rin followed his gaze before gasping.

Neuhaus stood behind Yukio, his face grim and bare of emotion, eye staring straight at Rin. Rin made a motion to yell at the man but Sam stopped him with a hand over his mouth. The blonde didn't look at Rin, eyes still level with Neuhaus. The younger demon squirmed for a moment but stopped at the equally grim look on Sam's face. Sam turned to him after a moment and shook his head as if to say not to comment before letting go of his mouth. Rin obeyed the silent order, curious as to why Sam didn't want him to chew this asshole out. Did Sam know what had occurred? Did this man do something similar to Sam as well? Could the guy just really hate demons? Rin's mind buzzed with these questions as he glanced towards the crazy bastard.

When he turned back to look at Sam, the teen was gone. Rin frowned but before he could question it the ceiling to the room above Neuhaus caved in, revealing the clowning headmaster of the Academy.

"Hullo! Surprise, my young pages!" Mephisto sang, stepping off the beam he was standing on to look down at Neuhaus. "Oh, dear, I apologise! I must get better at what I drop in on." Neuhaus grunted, standing and gathering himself, brushing dust from his shoulders. Mephisto gave him a droopy eyed look before turning away, his nose partially in the air.

"Anyway," Mephisto threw out his arms, eyes skating over the surprised pages' faces before settling on Rin's. The boy was suppressing a laugh that Mephisto assumed was at Neuhaus' expense. The older demon had to stifle a huge grin himself at his younger brother's enjoyment of his antics. "Thank you for all your hard work!"

"What? The director?" Bon said exasperatedly.

Konekomaru piped in beside him, "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"

Mephisto looked at them with a devilish grin. "You don't honestly think I would let an upper-level demon enter my academy, do you? How insulting." The demon snapped his fingers and suddenly more exorcists began to appear from the woodwork of the room. They came from cupboards and floorboards, ceiling panels and hidden wall slots. "Surprise!"

All the pages were silent, their faces blank of emotion before they collectively slumped in exhaustion. "What?!"

"That's right! This detention also happened to serve as your ExWire Authorization Exam!" The clown clapped his hands, lazily, a smug yet happy smile on his face. There was no response from the pages so he continued, "While detention was in session, we tested you thoroughly via strategically placed instructors around the building. I will now read the final reports and make the call on whether you pass or fail!" Mephisto nudged the rim of his hat up as Rin hung his head. The headmaster almost felt bad for the boy.

But, not really.

"Please look forward to the results!" The exorcists had begun to treat the wounded pages now and Mephisto felt like he was only talking for himself. It was probably time to exit and rejoin as Sam tomorrow morning. "Farewell, pages! Goodluck!"


	8. Yes, The Petals Are Beautiful

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

The next morning found Mephisto in his office, the final reports of the previous night's exam finally finished and approved after an eternity's worth of writing. The longest had been his own report of his alter ego because he had no idea what to even say he did to justify his passing. But he had also done about as much as Yamada or the kid with the puppet and he had received approvals from the other exorcists from them. What a pain.

The purple haired man scowled at the files once more before letting his eyes drift up to the black haired exorcist standing in front of him. "Yukio, I understand your concern. Believe me, it's a concern of mine as well. Neuhaus' actions last night were uncalled for but there's nothing I can do," Mephisto drawled, giving the younger Okumura twin a droopy eyed look. The boy shifted his glasses and nodded.

"I, also, understand but his actions compromised the mission! He could have hurt Rin," Yukio's voice was strained and Mephisto could that he was trying very hard to hold his tongue. "What if this type of thing happens again? What if he-"

"He won't." Mephisto's tone was steely as he locked eyes with Yukio. Mephisto himself was more than a little peeved at Neuhaus' actions the night before and he had not yet decided what to do with the man. However, he did know he would not be allowing the begrudged man to wander on his own free will any longer. And the demon would sooner go back to Gehenna than let the Blue Night survivor harm a single hair on Rin's head nor interrupt Mephisto's plans for the boy. "Believe me, Okumura-kun, he won't." Yukio seemed a little unsure for a moment. But, despite this, he nodded and turned away.

"Let's hope not." The twin had almost made it out the door before Mephisto called out to him.

"Don't forget the files, Yukio. That is, of course, what you came here for in the first place, isn't it?" Mephisto smiled a lopsided smirk as the boy begrudgingly returned to his desk and took the files from his hand, a light dust of a blush on his cheeks. Mephisto noted that the Okumura twins blushed in similar ways, minus the fact the younger one pulled it off with a little more grace than his haphazard older brother. "Take care, Yukio."

* * *

The next day, after attending cram classes as Sam and dealing with an overjoyed, eccentric, now-ExWire Rin, Mephisto was sitting quietly with Amaimon, his brother, the Demon King of Earth, in the gate house over looking one of True Cross' guarded South Rear Gate entrance. The green haired man had his long, clawed fingers looped around his eyes as mock binoculars while his older brother sipped tea. They were watching through the large window as their young half-brothers attempted to subdue Shiro's cat sidhe familiar. Neuhaus stood behind them, leaning against the wall. His presence grated on Mephisto's nerves but he tried to ignore it, knowing he needed the man still on the chessboard.

Mephisto was, instead, watching their younger half-brother with interest, even though he had brought his brother here to observe the younger demon rather than himself. Mephisto had wanted Amaimon's second opinion on Rin's abilities and potential. But now, as the cat demon stood atop one of the road signs over the bridge before the gate house, its muzzle contorted into a snarl while its two tails flickered around it, Mephisto was more concerned with Rin's safety. The idiot boy had ran carelessly close to the demon and now the overgrown house cat had leapt from its perch on the sign to lunge at all of the exorcists, including Rin.

Despite the sidhe's immense size, Rin seemed unafraid. He had yet to draw his sword, a wise choice in broad open daylight, but to the disappointment of Amaimon. Rin had then ignored the sane thing to do, stay behind the other exorcists and let them do their job, and ran headlong at the feline.

Mephisto felt his eye twitch as he watched his ward headbutt the cat into submission. The breathe he hadn't known he was holding was released through his lips as he sat back in his char, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Instead, he took a sip of the tea he had been mercilessly gripping a moment ago and assumed an air of calm. "So, brother," he drawled, his eyes opening to look his fellow demon king. "What do you-" He stopped mid sentence as he found his brother's eyes trained on him rather than the battle below. His fingers mock adjusted his binocular lens before dropping his hands all together.

"You seemed very interested in that half-demon's safety, brother. Why? You twitched and leaned forward like you were ready to go help him. Why? You never do that for toys. So wh-" The monotone boy was interrupted by Mephisto's hardened voice.

"Amaimon, don't question me. We remember what happened the last time, don't we?" The green-haired man visibly stiffened and Mephisto continued satisfied he had made his point. "Now, what do you think about Rin?"

"Well," Amaimon visibly relaxed and sang the word in his usual manner. "I can't really say anything at this point but if you're so interested in him, brother. He must be something very special." Mephisto snorted uncharacteristically and rolled his eyes. It was a habit he liked to indulge in when he was 'Sam'. Teens pulled off the whole action a lot better than ancient demons. For a moment, he wondered if he should tell Amaimon about his alter ego but decided against it. It would only make his younger brother question his interest in Rin again. "But, brother, I would like to see him go all-out. Would you let me?" Amaimon asked this while staring into Mephisto's eyes. Mephisto saw in the demon's green irises the familiar twitch of interest and excitement. He sighed and leaned on his palm, nodding once.

"I suppose if you must. But, only when I give you the permission to, yes?" But his brother had already rose and begun to walk to the door. "Amaimon?" The man stopped and turned to look at his older brother.

"Yes, sure. But for now I would like to go sight seeing and learn about the Japan you're so fond of." With that, he was gone, leaving Mephisto to sigh once again.

"Are you okay with that?" Neuhaus ground out from behind the headmaster. Mephisto glanced over his chair at him, eyes droopy as usual.

"He will be perfectly fine. He's interested enough in Rin that he will be sticking close." Neuhaus seemed to want to argue but simply nodded his head, turning to leave as well. "You will do well, Neuhaus, to not pull a stunt like the other night again. If I should hear of you doing so.." Mephisto paused to find Neuhaus' one eye, staring it down with a fierce conviction that belied his own droopy eyed expression. "There will be consequences."

The man nodded once and Mephisto looked away satisfied, listening for the click of the door before letting another sigh slip past his lips. He closed his eyes and sipped his tea as he pondered his growing predicament.

Amaimon and Neuhaus were two people he knew he would have to be careful playing with. Their lust for entertainment and revenge, respectively, would no doubt bring harm to Rin if Mephisto didn't move their pieces to just the right places.

His new found desire to keep Rin unharmed had tossed a wrench into the metaphorical gears of his formerly clear working mind. It muddied his plans and was making it more and more difficult to keep things in motion.

Unlike before when he only needed the boy alive rather than alive and unharmed, things were more complex than Mephisto liked them to be. He should have known he could not work closely with the boy as Sam and not begin to take heed of his well being as Mephisto.

Rationality dictated that he could still easily do everything he liked and disregard Rin's well being but his possessive demonic instincts had now decided to rear their heads along with 'Sam'. They were beginning to think of Rin as something close to a friend and thus were demanding Mephisto's mind to protect him. It was infuriating to the demon. He was far too brilliant and civil to become victim to his own demonic wants.

However, the side of Mephisto's rational that had now become Sam also thought of Rin as a friend of sorts. His plans were faced on two fronts by his growing weakness for Rin. He was literally fighting an inner battle.

"If Shiro saw me now, I'd never live it down." The demon pondered this aloud, mind lingering on the memory of his old friend. Then again Shiro might have been disbelieving if he were to see his demon friend becoming close to his adopted demon son. "No, he would definitely never let me live it down."

Mephisto decided he really was rather close to the boy now. He had become his friend. He'd seen him at what was likely one of his lowest moments in life, crying on the roof, desperately begging for his father back.

The older demon frowned a little at the memory. He wondered if Shiro had ever seen Rin so broken and how the man would have felt knowing it was because he was gone. The only two times Mephisto had ever seen the normally boisterous boy cry was over his father's grave and when he had cried into Mephisto's chest. Mephisto remembered how small and delicate the sobbing boy had seemed when he had put those two experimental hands on him.

Had he not seen it for himself, Mephisto would never have thought Rin could look so distraught and helpless. The younger demon was always so happy and ridiculously loud and eccentric. He hoped to not see Rin like that again. His demon side seemed to be very eager to agree as Rin's desperate pleas for Shiro to come back rang in his ears.

Mephisto took another sip of tea and leaned back into his palm, watching the now empty gate bridge.

"I've gotten myself into a terrible mess."


	9. Red As Rubies And Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

Also, there will be NO AmaimonxMephisto. Maybe a bit one-sided Amaimon but, honestly, it's just lusty demons being demons and being far too abrasive with other demons.

* * *

The Sunday after the Exam greeted the ExWires with a mission to snuff out a ghost that had been terrorizing the local Amusement Park. Outside of the amusement park, everyone gathered waiting for Yukio to show up with their mission details.

Shiemi and Kamiki had yet to appear but all the boys had arrived. Mephisto stood beside Rin near one of the admissions booths, laughing lightly over something the other had said. The other students milled around them, musing over the nature of the ghost; whether it was an angry poltergeist, an innocent murder victim come back to haunt them, someone who was killed at the park by a ride. The assumptions got crazier and Mephisto couldn't help but laugh a little harder. He knew the ghost was just a mischievous child and this mission would be very simple.

With a shake of his head, Samael turned his attention to Rin who now stood quietly beside him, his back against the wall of one of the admissions booths. Their conversation had also been about the mission and its outcome.

But, it seemed Rin was now only interested in relaxing. His eyes were closed, ivory face turned up to the spring sun. His skin was pallid and translucent, glowing like polished porcelain in the warming sunlight. His hair feathered around his flushed face, the sun highlighting the navy undertones of the boy's hair.

Samael didn't mind Rin not wanting to talk for a moment as his eyes rolled over the teen before him, taking note of every detail as if he needed to commit it to memory. The relaxed expression on Rin's face was captivating, the sloping expanse of the boy's exposed neck was elegant, the small smile drifting over his peach lips was contagious.

Mephisto knew what lust was. He had felt it only a few times but he knew what it was. It was something demons were quite susceptible to, like a disease or a virus. And at the moment, Mephisto was feeling lust's grip on his mind. Rin was intriguing, a puzzle, and somewhat close to a friend, he didn't doubt his demonic side was beginning to yearn for more than just friendship as possessive as the side could be.

Mephisto wasn't a brash to friendship and nor was he appalled at lust. But, he couldn't indulge his demonic side any longer. It was already making his plans more difficult than they should me

After a moment of thought, he decided to remain on friendly terms with his younger half-brother and go no further, no matter how frustrating it might become to Mephisto's demonic instincts. It would appease part of the side's yearnings and hopefully the new found lust would die down as quick as it had come.

For now, Mephisto studied the boy's features, unknowing in his deep thoughts that he himself was being watched by the other students.

"He's just staring at Okumura.. What a weirdo.." Suguro's gruff voice whispered quietly to Shima and Konekomaru. The three pages sat in the shade a few yards from the basking demons, watching their blonde classmate look their onyx haired classmate over with intense eyes. "You don't think that they're..?"

"Yeah.. I mean, no. Not Rin but that Sam kid maybe.. He looks like he's gonna eat Rin.." Shima whispered back, the emotion in Samael's eyes making him feel like he should look away. Suguro opened his mouth to say something else but Yukio took this time to appear and call everyone to gather for their mission.

Hearing his brother's voice, Rin opened his eyes, blinking at the sun. His head rolled to the side, a small smile still spread over his lips. He noticed his friend's intent eyes and was surprised as they studied his torso and legs so absorbedly. Their gaze began to burn as they travelled over him. His eyes had an expression in them that darkened their normally brilliant, burnt hue.

Rin shifted beneath the weight of Samael's gaze, feeling suddenly self conscious. Mephisto realized Rin had stirred and looked up to smirk at his ward, coming out of his trance-like examination. The smirk turned into a smile as Rin raised a curious eyebrow at him.

They stayed like that for a moment, Rin's insecurity having faded with the appearance of Samael's smile, before they realized what they are doing. Rin's lips opened into a nervous chuckle as he pushed off the wall, feeling awkward at having caught his friend practically devouring his appearance and then losing himself in a moment of friendly grinning.

"Goodmorning! Our mission today is to find an apparition that has been toying around with equipment and customers inside Mephyland." Yukio's clear, serious voice rang in the humid, spring air as all the ExWires gave him looks that spelled 'duh'. "We're going to split into groups of two and three to cover as much ground as possible. Please stick with your partner as we are unsure of how aggressive the ghost is. We will meet back here at one. If you find the ghost before one please text me so I can come to help exorcise it. Do not engage it on your own. Everyone understand?" There was a silent chorus of nods. "Good, alright then. Suguro, Shima, and Konekomaru."

"Rin and Shiemi are the next group... Where's Shiemi-san and Kamiki?"

At that moment the two girls appeared, running, faces red from exertion and heat. Shiemi had donned a school uniform that seemed a few sizes too small. Suguro, Shima, Yukio, and Konekomaru all went crimson as they saw how the school uniform accentuated Shiemi's previously hidden curves. Samael looked her over with disinterest. But, he did find interest in what Rin's reaction was. He turned to look at the boy's face and felt his inner demon flare with a sudden and fiery burst of anger as he noticed the boy's eyes trained on the hem of Shiemi's skirt.

A feeling of jealousy reached out from his demonic side and gripped Mephisto's chest in its clawed fist. He felt his lip curl in disdain. He didn't know why he felt such a sudden wave of contempt for the girl but he knew he'd love to shove her off a bridge at the moment. Rin shook his head and frowned, looking up to meet Samael's eyes.

"Sam, you alright?" Rin said, concerned, as he noticed the rage dancing in his friend's eyes and the tension that appeared in the way he stood. Samael blinked and the anger rushed from his eyes, being replaced by his previous air of relaxation.

"Of course, Okumura-kun." The boy chuckled and smirked in his usual way. Somehow, Rin didn't believe him but he shrugged it off, eyes returning to Shiemi.

Her shirt was far too tight and her skirt was far too short. He felt sympathy for the girl as she blushed beneath the salacious stares of every boy in their class. She tried to explain that her normal attire wasn't good enough for sports and so she changed but Rin doubted Suguro or Shima or any of them heard what she was saying.

Rin looked away feeling a large amount of sympathy for Shiemi. He hoped she would go back to her normal wear after this mission. Rin's eyes met Sam's again and Rin shook his head.

"I think if Shima stared any harder, his eyes would fall out of his head." Sam laughed in reply, the sound seeming forced. "A school uniform on her just isn't right. I miss her normal kimono. She looks.." Rin looked for a word that wouldn't sound insulting to Shiemi but got his point across.

"Attractive?" Sam offered with a bit of poison in his tone. Rin shook his head and frowned.

"Shiemi's beautiful no doubt. But, I feel like.. I don't know. Like, I should be getting her something cover up. She looks.. Cheap." Rin whispered the last part in Sam's ear so Shiemi didn't hear. Mephisto felt his heart beat a little quicker at their proximity and a purr of happiness sounded from his demon side as he realised Rin felt indifference at Shiemi's obvious attractiveness. "Well, I better go pair up with Shiemi. Good luck on your piece of the mission." Rin said, moving away from Sam with a wave and knocking the disguised demon out of his thoughts.

Samael nodded in return before placing a hand on his hip, cocking it to the side as he waited for Yukio to continue announcing partners. His hand went upward above his head and grasped at air before he realised he wasn't wearing his hat. His eyebrow twitched and he quickly covered up the failed hat adjustment by pushing his hair from his face.

As the commotion over Shiemi's appearance settled, Suguro and his group went back to their shady tree to cool down their raging hormones. Yukio coughed, hoping heat explained the blush on his cheeks, and pushed his glasses up as Rin joined Shiemi next to him.

"Okay, anyway.. The final two groups will be Kamiki and Takara and Samael and Yamada. You have your groups. Remember to call me if you catch sight of the ghost. Good luck!" With that Yukio dismissed the class and individual partners moved off in separate directions.

Rin watched Samael and his mysterious partner walk off in the direction of the tilt-a-whirl and felt a pang of jealousy. He had wanted to be partnered with Samael more than anything. The two demons worked well together and it was nice being around someone who he didn't have to hide himself from.

Rin and Sam had spent a lot of time around each other the last few months and yet there was still a lot Rin didn't know about him. Which made Rin a little peeved because Sam seemed to know a lot about Rin while Rin was some what in the dark about Sam. He felt like he should know more about his friend, that he should know his past, his preference, his dislikes, his ambitions, and things like that.

A pout of disappointment appeared on Rin's face as Sam and the gaming kid disappeared behind a wall. He really, really wished he had been partnered with Sam.

With a sigh, the boy turned his gaze to Shiemi who was walking very awkwardly in front of him. He watched confused as she half waddled, half cantered down the concrete pathway they were on.

"Uh, Shiemi? Is something wrong?" Rin asked. Shiemi stopped and turned around, her face puffed out and beet red. It was one of the most ridiculous expression Rin had ever seen and he couldn't help the laughter that spilled from his lips. "What on earth are you making that face for?" Rin's question was broken up by bits of laughter, his hands gripping at his sides. Shiemi let out the air she had been holding her cheeks and coughed, pulling her fists up as if she were doing a pull up.

"I've never been to an amusement park. It's just so exciting I can't-" She held her breathe again, sending Rin into another fit of laughter. "-contain it!" She exhaled and Rin shook his head, continuing to walk past Shiemi on the path.

"Really? We'll have to go some time. We can drag Yukio and Sam and Suguro and everybody along." Rin said, feeling as if it was actually a fairly good idea for a cram school outing. Shiemi ran to catch up with Rin, excitement written all over her face.

"That would be so much fun! Can we really?" Rin nodded and grinned widely, giving Shiemi a look over as she started enthusing over their potential trip. Her voice was happy and cheerful, her eyes were shining with joy, her cheeks were rosy, her body was accentuated by her uniform on all the right places. He felt like he should be dying of happiness at the fact Shiemi would want to go to an almost date with him to an amusement park. Yet, he was just mildly happy at the thought of an outing with a bunch of their friends and didn't really want to be alone with Shiemi. He felt like it would be awkward since they weren't really close, even though he was very protective of Shiemi as if she were his little sister.

The two walked, talking amicably about their summer plans. A blur of blue dashed in front of them and they stopped in surprise. Looking around, confused, the two wondered if they had just imagined the blur.

Just as they had shrugged it off, a small, translucent boy appeared in their path. Shiemi jumped and Rin's hand instinctively moved to his sword. The boy stared at them, his legs a wispy trail of fading azure color. He was a small thing who looked to be only about seven years old with big, wide eyes that spoke of innocence. Rin sweatdropped at the unintimidating appearance of the ghost, feeling like he had been cheated out of a lazy Sunday.

"What the hell..?" The teen whispered, looking at Shiemi then back at the ghost. Shiemi gave him a look that said all the bewilderment he felt. "Is this really it?" Rin said, wondering why they would call all the pages down here for this little kid-ghost-thing before remembering they hadn't known what the ghost would be like.

"At least it'll be easy..?" Shiemi replied, moving toward the apparition, a kind smile spread over her thin lips. "Hey there! Are you the one who's causing all this trouble?" Her voice was tentative and sure but wavered at the end as the ghost moved towards her as well. He came flying into her chest his hands placed firmly over her eyes. Little sobs came from the tiny kid and Rin's face went blank, feeling very cheated now as the ghost cried into Shiemi's arms. The girl stroke the boy's hair and held him. "There, there. It'll be alri-" The ghost's sobs stopped and he laughed childishly, leaving the ExWires confused once again.

With a smirk, the boy pushed out of Shiemi's arms and abruptly grabbed her chest. Shiemi let out a shocked squeal and Rin immediately ran forward, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her away from the premonition. The child laughed and flew up above their heads, his laughter filling the air.

"Old hag! Tag you're it! Catch me if you can." The ghost flew off and Rin tried to stop his partner from running after it but to no avail. The girl went dashing after the child, determination in her eyes. The demon let her go, shaking his head. He figured the ghost couldn't do any serious harm and in the mean time he could text Yukio and let him know they had found the ghost.

As he pulled out his phone, he felt his sword being lifted from his shoulders. A cry of surprise left his lips as he whipped around to find the oddest looking man he had ever seen. He had green hair spiked into a point at the top his head with bright lemon-y green eyes that drooped in a familiar way. He wore tattered clothing in a similar fashion as Mephisto in brown and black and green. Fangs peaked from beneath his lips and pointed-tips of ears poked through his hair. He was obviously a demon. He had Kurikara nestled in his hand, lifting it up and turning it, studying the holster and pulling it off.

Fear, rage, and then more fear raced through Rin as he watched the man's hand reach for the sword's handle. The boy cried out.

"No, don't do that, you bastard! What are you doing?" The demon paid him no mind, laughing as he opened the sword and Rin burst into flames. He closed it and watched the flames die out, repeating the action several times.

Rin growled and rushed towards the man. "BASTARD! Stop!" He was easily defended against, receiving a kick that sent him flying through the air. The teen let out a choked breath as the immense force of the kick knocked the wind from his lungs and slammed him into the side of a metal roller coaster support. The strength of the blow shook the entire structure, denting the exterior supports of the ride. The demon landed next to Rin was he smashed into the ground below the coaster.

"You're kinda puny, you know that?" The stranger grabbed Rin by his onyx hair and hoisted him up to scrutinize his face. The injured demon cried out and muttered profanities as he was lifted to the point his feet didn't touch the ground. "I am Amaimon, Earth King of Gehenna."

Amaimon tossed Rin upwards a ways and lept to punch the boy down. Rin flew through the air again, feeling his anger flare wildly and his flames burn even brighter. He reached up and grabbed Amaimon's fist, flipping their positions and punching him in the face. The green-haired man looked unamused and unaffected, immediately kicking Rin off him midair and sending the boy slamming up into the roller coaster again. The violence of the second hit smashed Rin clear through the metal beams and up into the sky in an arc.

A loud crash sounded throughout the entire park followed by a shriek of pain. Mephisto and his partner stopped dead in their tracks, turning to watch a large cloud of debris fly into the air, an orb of blue light its center.

Cold panic raced viciously in Mephisto's veins as he realized it was Rin and the boy was clearly in considerable pain.

Without a second thought, he went sprinting towards his ward, friend, whatever, concern flooding his system from his demon side as well as his rational side. The line between the two sides was completely erased as soon as he heard Rin's scream. He ignored his previous intentions not to use his demonic powers as he jumped over tall rides and concession stands.

His partner dashed right on beside him. The mysterious student's hood somehow stayed up despite the speed they were running at. Mephisto felt unease hit him at the stranger's physical speed, so fast it matched his own.

A million possibilities raced through his mind at how and why the student was moving as fast as he would but he let it go as Rin let out another wail, being punched into the air once again. Mephisto and his partner touched down on a large expanse of open green grass and concrete between two of the main roller coasters in the park.

Amaimon had struck Rin down to the ground again, causing the grey pavement to crack and splinter beneath the force of the blow. Rin coughed as he slammed into the shattered ground, blood spewing into the air like a gorey fountain.

Samael's rage flared and he moved to rush forward and demolish his younger brother for such a treachery as to harm his ward without his permission.

However, Yamada had already ran forward, ripping off his sweatshirt to reveal a face Mephisto knew well, Shura Kirigakure. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger. A growl wanted to rip its way through his throat but he suppressed it, watching the woman pull her sword from the seals in her chest.

The Vatican had sent a spy, a little worm to infiltrate his precious Academy. He should have known. This oversight kicked his pride down a few pegs, knowing he could be so easily spied on when he prided himself on being one step ahead of the Vatican at all times.

Now if he used any of his abilities at all, Shura would immediately realize who he was and blow his cover. She was probably already suspicious of his presence in class as an unlabeled demon. Mephisto hadn't sent enrollment applications for his disguise to True Cross Headquarters, expecting there to be no problems in him simply slipping in and out of his own school.

The lack of proper papers would definitely have raised some questions for Shura considering she probably had tried to find a trace of who the mock-demon was. He would have to keep very low around her, or disappear altogether, in order to avoid being revealed.

And so, Samael didn't move to help Rin like every fiber of his demonic being was screaming to do. He watched with contempt as the Amaimon and Shura fought it out. His brother was now talking with Shura. Rin stood beside the bodacious woman, hardly standing on his feet.

Mephisto's demon side wailed and lurched as he saw the state the young man was in. His face was swollen, his lips were bloodied, his arms hung limply at his sides while his fire still glowed on his pallid skin. He looked as if he couldn't hold himself, swaying to and fro.

His beautiful eyes dilated in and out of focus, sweat and blood dripping down into them from his hairline. No doubt the boy was staring at the two beings before him without actually seeing what was going on nor comprehending the danger he was in.

Tossing his original plan to not interfere out the window as his inner demon gave a particularly hard thrash, Mephisto ran to the boy, his heart pounding as he saw Rin sway a little too far to one side. Sam's hand had only just touched Rin's back before the boy collapsed into his arms, flames dying out as he gave into the immense stress and agony his body was experiencing. Mephisto grunted as the dead weight of his ward hit him. He picked him up bridal style, cradling his head into his chest and moving away from the danger of the battlefield. Shura spared the retreating demons a glance before staring down Amaimon.

The two foes exchanged quick, annoyed words before diving into a battle over Kurikara. Their strikes were evenly matched, Shura's sure and calculated, Amaimon's wild, yet powerful. The noise of their battle echoed off the rides around them, the amplitude no doubt already drawing the rest of the class to the spot.

Rin twisted in Mephisto's arms as if the sounds of battle were echoing painfully in his head. Mephisto shushed him quietly as he began to make strained noises.

Knowing he would have to lay the boy's body out flat to relieve some of the pain, Mephisto moved to a tree planted to the side of the now battlefield, setting Rin down and pushing his hair from his face. Rin shifted his face into Mephisto's palm and the demon wiped blood from the boy's cheek. Rin to flinched and groaned, eyes fluttering before falling closed again.

The bruises across his face were hot to the touch and the gashes were open and bleeding. Mephisto's inner demon snarled and cooed intermittently and his rational side rolled its eyes. He obeyed his demon side in hopes of appeasing it as he shushed the little noises of pain from the boy, tearing a piece of his white button up and wiping some of the blood from Rin's face.

The twin let out another whine and Mephisto brushed his hair back repeatedly as if petting a dog. It seemed to settle the boy's distress enough for Mephisto to turn and watch his younger brother fight, uninterested, with Kirigakure.

He knew Amaimon would quickly drop the sword and disappear once he realized he wasn't going to be able to get to the boy at the moment. Their battle continued for a few minutes, neither one able to overpower the other.

Neither had laid a single, successful blow before his brother yawned, scratching his oily, verde hair. His lazy, lime eyes stared Shura down before tossing Kurikara at her. The woman jumped back, catching the sword midair.

"I'm bored. You weren't the challenge I had thought you were, Rin-kun." Amaimon said in a disappointed voice, eyes diverted from his opponent to stare at the motionless body next to Sam, as if Rin was conscious enough to hear him. "I'll be back though. Don't worry. We'll play again but next time you better be more fun."

With a yawn and a sigh, the demon king disappeared, leaving Shura and Mephisto to stare after him, one with contempt and one with annoyance.

"What the hell is a big wig like that doing inside the damn barrier? I swear when I get my hands on that stupid Mephisto, I'll tear him a new one. Making me blow my cover like that. Chh," Shura growled under her breathe.

Mephisto glared at her, about to say something before remembering he wasn't himself at the moment. He bit his tongue, instead occupying himself with rousing Rin. He figured it would be best to wake the injured teen up incase he had sustained any head injuries or anything serious. Yukio would no doubt be urging to look at his brother when he got here.

With a few verbal urges and gentle prodding, the twin cracked open his blurry eyes, unable to focus them for a moment.

Samael worriedly leaned over Rin with a small, concerned frown on his face, a frown that Rin felt his heart speed up for. It was small and warming, easing some of Rin's disorientation for a moment. It was a nice feeling and he wanted to go back to sleep, his head pounding.

However, the looming figure above him continued to urge him till finally he opened his eyes fully. The frown turned into a tentative smirk that made his heart react even more than the frown had. He blinked attempting to clear the daze from his vision.

Slowly, as he gained conscious, memories of a demon, a powerful one, stealing Kurikara came flooding back. With shock, he sat up, head twisting and turning, searching wildly for his sword. He found it now in the hands of a half-naked woman, torso clad only in a bikini. His lips curled in distrust and slight revulsion.

"What the hell..? What's going on?" The disoriented demon questioned, feeling suddenly light headed from the speed he sat up.

With another groan, he held his head, feeling a warm hand rubbing minute, soothing circles across the tense planes of his shoulders. It eased the pressure in his muscles and calmed some of the flurrying thoughts in his head.

"Easy now, Okumura-kun, stupid. You just woke up from being knocked out. It's very unwise to try to take on too much thought right now." Mephisto shook his head, reprimanding the boy's careless disregard for himself. "Amaimon, a very powerful demon, was here. You got severely overpowered. This.. woman came and saved you." Said woman took this time to retrieve Rin's sheath and place the sword in it then placing the sword into its case. She walked to stand in front of Rin and he reached up, 'thank you' poised on his lips, expecting her to hand him his sword.

Instead, she grabbed his outstretched hand and hoisted him up. Rin let out a shout of pain and Samael jumped up to steady his friend as he swayed again. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mephisto snarled, glaring at Shura as she looked at him bemusedly.

"None of your business. Go back to meet the others, kid. Chh." She grabbed Rin's neck in a headlock and began to walk away. Mephisto moved to chase after her, a protest balanced on his lips, before stopping himself. He couldn't do anything to stop Shura, especially in this form. As Mephisto, he could have ordered her to leave but, as Sam, he didn't have much of a say in the matter.

At least if he let her take Rin for now, he could slip away, find Amaimon, and give him a piece of the rage building inside of him at his brother's complete disregard for his authority. He bite his bottom lip, watching the two for a moment longer. His demon side howled at his restraints, ordering him to go take Rin back from the woman.

Mephisto ignored it again. He figured the girl would be dragging Rin to True Cross' interrogation chamber in the catacombs of the school. The thought of Rin being in there, where once the door no one would open it expect the person who closed it, made Mephisto feel anxious. But, he knew Rin would be there and that he couldn't stop it. There was no use going after her.

If the Vatican had sent Shura to investigate the Academy then she probably had already derived Rin was one of the spawns of Satan Shiro was supposed to have killed and had reported it in.

Still, inside, his demonic urge to protect his friend waged a fair assault against his better judgement.

With a final glance at Rin's retreating back, Samael nodded unsurely and disappeared in a cloud of pink.

Back in his office, Mephisto found his brother lounging in his large, throne-like desk chair. A surge of annoyance and anger bloomed in his chest as he watched the green-haired demon spin round and round in his chair, ignoring his presence.

"Amaimon." He said, his voice vice-like as he shifted back into his normal form. "Care to explain what just happened?" Mephisto walked forward and abruptly stopped the spinning of the chair, the force of the stop tossing Amaimon on to the floor. He let out a small whine and rolled over to look up at his seething brother. He rolled a ruby red sucker around in his mouth, eyes uninterested in his brother's fury.

"You and Father are practically obsessive over our dear young half-brother. I wanted to know what the big deal was. I'm not impressed. He was really puny. And weak. And more than a little stupid. And rea-"

"Enough! You did not have my permission gauge him all-out yet. I told you that you were to have my explicit permission to provoke him. You are an idiot, brother. My plans are more carefully laid than your brain could ever handle. Play my game by my rules or I will send you back to Gehenna." Mephisto's voice was hard with an air of finality. Amaimon stared up at his brother's rageful eyes, his own widening slightly. He sat up from his sprawled out position on the floor and pulled his sucker from his mouth.

"Why are you so upset with me? And why were you disguised, brother? Why are you being so protective over that little wimp? Brother, that's not fair." The lime-eyed demon stood up as Mephisto sat down in his chair and rubbed his temples, moving to sit on the desk beside his brother.

"I'm upset because you defied my rules for you being in Assiah. Now I'm going to have to deal with the Vatican sniffing around looking for leaks from Gehenna and holes in my barriers. Why do you act so childish and so foolishly?" Mephisto glared at his brother who simply sat on his perch and swung his legs, looking unphased by Mephisto's rage. Steadily, said rage faded, giving way to intense exasperation at his brother's lack of interest and lack of guilt.

"Why were you in disguise, brother?"

"I'm observing my class of ExWires and their progress." Mephisto lied fluently. Amaimon seemed to accept this answer, nodding and hopping off the desk. He leisurely swung his arms around the back of his brother's chair, draping them over Mephisto's shoulders. He is pale face rested itself on one of his long, clothed arms, cheek brushing his brother's neck. Mephisto rolled his eyes and attempted to shrug himself from Amaimon's arms, leaning away from him.

"You seem awfully interested in our younger brother, Mephisto. Why is that? Why?" Amaimon's voice dropped low as he questioned, pleading tones overlapping jealous pitches as he held his older brother. Mephisto sighed and moved his hand to pet Amaimon's hair, nuzzling the possessive demon's cheek.

"Calm yourself, dear brother. You're already too green as it is to be feeling envious of our little brother." Mephisto rolled his eyes as he felt his brother snort against his neck. His hand moved, "You would do well not to harm Rin again, Amaimon. He's far too essential to my plans and to Father's. If I should chose to report this to Father, you realize he'd behead you a thousand times over for disobeying him, don't you?" Mephisto gave Amaimon a condescending look but the man simply leaned further into his face, lips pressing faintly onto his cheek and up to his ear. Mephisto shut his eyes and eased back into his chair as Amaimon worked the elongated tip of his ear.

"But, I know you wouldn't do that to me, brother. You care far too much for my safety, don't you? You love me, dearest. You would be stupid to say you didn't." Amaimon nuzzled Mephisto's neck again before standing and moving around to the front of the older demon's desk. Mephisto didn't open his closed eyes for a moment. "You wouldn't harm me even if I killed Rin, would you? I was here first. I am your favorite brother. I am your favorite pawn. I am yours, aren't I, brother?" His questioning grated at Mephisto's ears, the green-haired man's voice low and sultry in a way that contradicted the annoying effect of his questioning. The older of the two opened his eyes and stared daggers at the younger, shutting his curious mouth effectively.

"Don't harm Rin till I tell you to Amaimon. Do you understand?" Mephisto's voice was hard and unforgiving, a silent fury and a bold authority behind it. Amaimon came back around, his tail curling around his leg, shifting beneath his pants. He felt shivers run through him at the command in Mephisto's voice, both of fear and excitement. He kneeled before Mephisto's chair and laid his hands on his knees.

"Yes, brother. Anything for you."


	10. It's A Shame

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

Shura's arm unlocked from around Rin's strangled neck as she roughly shoved him into a room made entirely of thick looking concrete.

Rin let out a cry of pain as he landed on the ground, hands and knees skidding across the ground to stop him from slamming face first into the pavement. He rolled over onto his back in a quick, pained motion, jumping up to stare at Shura.

"What the hell is the big idea, lady? Where the hell are we?" Rin yelled this as the woman closed the huge door behind her, the door jam giving an echoing slam and click as the lock shifted into place.

With that click, Rin felt his mind and heart shift into overdrive, even more so once Shura turned around with his sword swung over her shoulder. "Give me my sword!" He ran forward, attempting to grab his sword from her. She quickly evaded his panicked lunge and punched the base of his spin, causing him to curl forward in pain, letting out a small shriek.

"You let the sword get taken awfully easy, kid. It's far too dangerous a weapon for you to handle like that. Chh," She snorted and pulled the sword from its carrier, then from it's holster. Rin's body immediately lit up like a blue lantern. Shura's eyes widened, closing the sword again. Rin's flames disappeared. She did this a few times as the boy attempted to get his breath back after having it knocked out of him. "The sword is a portal for your flames, eh? Well, Shiro had a few tricks up his sleeves, didn't he? Including you."

Rin felt his fury flare as the strange woman mentioned Shiro, talking mockingly as if she knew him. He turned around and punched at her face. "Don't you dare fucking talk about the old man!"

Shura jumped back just in time to avoid the hit. "Hit a nervel huh? You wanna fight, kid?" She pulled out her own sword, sheathing Rin's and letting his flames die. The boy felt a shiver of fear flow through his veins as he watched the woman pull a long, purple sword from her chest.

"Serpent Fang!" She yelled, sending two elongated streaks of wind barreling towards Rin. He leapt out of the way, then back again as he narrowly avoided two more slices of her sword. Her voice and the sound of cracking concrete echoed throughout the room. Rin dodged air current after air current, fear and desperation pushing his already exhausted muscles faster and faster.

Finally, one nicked Rin in the stomach and he was sent flying backwards into the concrete wall. Pebbles and shards of gravelly daggers went flying in every other direction, some cutting his skin as they flew past his injured body.

Shura didn't let up her attack and Rin had to quickly shake off the disorientation in his head after having slammed onto such a hard surface. He rolled away and began dodging again, this time slower, cutting it close to the attack's razor sharp, airy edges.

Shura watched his movements with care after each swipe, noticing the sloppy way he moved and floundering uncertainty in maneuvers. He was unkempt and wild and clearly untrained, she 'chh-ed' at Shiro's complete failure of a weapon. She couldn't believe that at one point the old man had asked her to train this wimp as if there was anything to train. The boy was absolutely pathetic and sloppy. There was no way Shiro had done anything to train Rin, let alone anything to prepare Rin for her type of regimen, her type of teaching, her type of fighting. The boy was in no way a fighter and Shura was disappointed in her old mentor.

"Shiro was a fool. You're weak and he clearly didn't train his weapon to be anything more than a chew toy for other demons. The old man was really an id-" Shura mocked the man she had once idolized before Rin shouted, his voice steely in a way Shura wasn't expecting.

"You shut your damn mouth! You know nothing of him! Of everything he's done!" Rin's eyes were hard as he dragged himself off the ground after a particularly hard hit.

Shura stopped attacking him, her eyes trained on the boy's angry, shaking figure. "He is the greatest man to have ever lived. So, you shut your damn mouth! Don't you dare talk about my father like that, don't you dare! If you ever talk about him like that again..." His flames appeared on his skin for the second time without having unsheathed his sword. He hardly noticed the blue flames as he glared at Shura, his fists balled at his hips. "I'll make you regret it. He was the best exorcist. He was the best man to ever live. So don't you dare insult him." His voice was so low Shura felt a shudder trail up her spine as his flames grew bright and his bangs shifted and fluttered from the sheer strength of them. His rageful eyes stared her down. Her own eyes widened and she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips.

The single chuckle repeated itself until it turned into a full blown fit of laughter. She laughed hard, clutching her exposed stomach and throwing her head back. Rin's flames died as confusion overtook him. He watched the woman laugh and for a moment thought she had possibly gone crazy right in front of him.

Bewilderment was written all across Rin's face, causing Shura to laugh even harder.

When she finally pulled herself together, Shura looked up with her eyes sparkling with an unknown feeling in them. She knew then that Shiro hadn't been raising a weapon like all of the Vatican had thought. This wimpy kid couldn't even dodge. But with the way he had defended Shiro, she knew the old man had never even thought about turning this kid into a weapon of mass destruction. He had been raising a son. And he had done a fine job at make this kid into a son at the way he had just defended the old man.

Shura's mind went back to the time Shiro asked her to train the boy, when she had refused.

Now, she knew she should have trusted Shiro's judgement. A wave of sorrow sobered her laughter and she smiled, somberly. That old man never ceased to amaze her.

"Shiro raised you well, didn't he?" Rin was taken aback by the question.

"What do you mean? You knew the old man?" Rin asked, confused. Shura nodded, smiling.

"I did. He was.. Well, let's just say he was important to me. He saved my life," she trailed off. There was a long moment of silence between the two.

Shura's hand moved to grip the end of the stolen sword on her back. Rin's body tensed automatically, feeling ready to dodge any moment. His body groaned and protested at the tensing, unwilling to move any longer. Rin fought off the pain, attempting to keep his mind and vision sharp.

Shura grinned lopsidedly, humor in her bright eyes. "You want this sword back, kid?" Rin's eyebrows rose, a look crossing his face that clearly said 'duh'. Shura chuckled a bit, "Well then, I suppose you'll need to earn it."

A flat expression smacked itself onto the Satan spawns face, "...what?" He deadpanned, not quite comprehending what the bodacious woman was saying. "What do you mean I have to earn it?!" The boy exclaimed this while he stomped childishly forward. He reached for his sword only to have Shura jump back a few paces. "It's my damn sword! I don't even know who the heck you are, lady! Give me my sword!" Rin hollered this as he attempted to chase after the woman who only evaded his lunges. His moves were sluggish and he knew he would never be able to get it back from her in his current state.

With this in mind, he stopped and as did she. The two looked at each other, one in amusement and one in a mixture of anger and annoyance. Shura cocked her hip out and held the sword over her shoulder.

"I mean that I will keep your sword. Then, I will train you and through my own personal Satan Spawn boot camp, you will earn your sword back and make Shiro proud. Deal?" Shura's grin grew larger and Rin's contempt only deepened despite his growing curiosity toward the woman's offer and her relation to Shiro.

"How.. How did you know the old man?" Rin said after a moment. Shura didn't seem surprised at the question, but her face lost its smile none the less.

"He saved me, like I said. I was lost in Gehenna, only twelve or so. Fighting for my life and he rescued me. From then on, he helped me become a part of the Vatican, gave me a home, and the closest I had ever come to a family. Aside from my snake familiars. He was a good man, a great man," she finished, looking Rin in the eye.

Rin searched her eyes and saw that she was telling the truth. He felt his body loosen and his lips twitched upward.

"He was great, wasn't he?" Shura nodded at this and a silent camaraderie passed between the two.


	11. That Something So Intoxicating

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all to their respective and original owners. I am simply borrowing them for my own amusement. At the end of the day, I own nothing.

* * *

"Hullo, class! I've been transferred from the Vatican Headquarters to the Japan Branch! I'm Shura Kirigakure," Shura introduced herself the next day, her trueself, still clad in nothing but shorts, a jacket, and a bikini. The class murmured among themselves as they sat in their stuffy classroom, staring at the bodacious woman who was sitting on Yukio's desk. "Just kidding! I've been among you all for a while now as Yamada. Nice to meet ya!"

Most of the class continued to simply stared at the woman, some particularly more than others considering the pool of saliva beneath Shima's slack jaw. Rin snorted at the sight and nudged Sam to look as well. The blonde glanced at their pink haired classmate and rolled his eyes.

He turned back to Rin and leaned close to whisper, "Once he gets to know her, he won't be so boggled by her assets." Rin raised an eyebrow at this, ignoring Shura who had started to list off the subjects she was teaching and answering a question from Bon about her presence.

"You know her?" Sam nodded, his mind going back to the few times they had met through Shiro.

"I've had the fantastic pleasure of meeting her once or twice." The sarcasm in his voice was heavy as he gave Rin a droopy eyed look that said it was the exact opposite of pleasurable. Rin laughed under his breathe, seeing Shura turn in their direction with a glare.

The two trained their eyes on the board for a moment, waiting for her to continue answering Bon's question before Rin replied, "My meeting with her yesterday was anything but fun. She took my damn sword, the crazy woman." He glared at the back of the woman's red haired head. Mephisto raised an eyebrow at him.

"I had noticed you were carrying around that wooden sword instead of your original." Rin shrugged his shoulders at this. He was about to reply when Yukio entered the room, immediately addressing the class.

"I see you've met Shura. Along with her presence, I also have some other news for you. Tomorrow we will be leaving on a three day field exercise. Think of it like camping but for a grade." There was a collective groan from the class, to which Yukio seemed to ignore. He cast an annoyed glare at Shura before dismissing the class. "That's all I have for you today. Have a good evening." Sam and Rin followed the rest of the students out of the room, breaking away from them as they reached the hallway. It was Monday and they still had their tutoring session to do. There wasn't exactly anything to study per se. At least nothing urgent but neither felt the need to cancel their Monday night agreement.

A fact that a part of Rin was peeved about. But, having Sam as his teacher made it bearable. Rin really had grown fond of the other demon, the only demon he had ever known that wasn't hellbent on killing him, dragging him to Gehenna, or toying with him like a doll. It was a nice change of pace and made him believe there actually were civil demons out there who weren't absolute lunatics or monsters.

Rin emerged from his thoughts as they entered their abandoned classroom and cleared his throat, "So, what's the topic today?" Sam smirked and tapped his chin in mock deep thought.

"Well, we've covered the basics we could get into the difficult things like breakdowns of various poisons or the Vatican's political structures and their beginnings. Or I could give you a crash course in magic circles and seals so you're prepared for Shura's class" Rin pulled a face that made Sam chuckle and smirk wider. "None of that interest you?"

Rin shook his head violently, "About as much as getting beat up by Shura again. How about we learn something interesting? Like… Well, I don't know. Something that's not gonna make my brain hurt." The boy's face twisted into a partial scowl slash partial frown.

Mephisto laughed again at the younger demon's ridiculous expression before giving the subject some actual thought. After a moment, an idea burst into his head that he actually thought would be interesting to explain. "What about the demon hierarchy of Gehenna?" Rin's face didn't change much and Mephisto rolled his eyes. "I assure you, it's actually interesting." He turned away and walked to the chalkboard, beginning to lay out a tree diagram of sorts.

"At the top, we, of course, have Satan. Then, below him, we branch off into eight kings, the sons of Satan. They control various categories of demons based on their individual characteristics. The first one is one you've already met, Amaimon, the King of Earth. He controls goblins, dekalps, greenman, and bariyons, as well as various types of nature aspects." Mephisto noticed Rin's face had straightened out, his eyes now focused on the drawings with a glimmer of interest in his eyes. The older demon smirked in between his words at this.

"The second is Astaroth, the King of Rot. You've also met him. He was.." Mephisto paused for a moment, remembering that Astaroth had been a key factor in Shiro's death. The older demon avoided looking at Rin as he continued, images and murmurs of the night he had been on the rooftop with the boy echoing in his mind. "He was the one who first attacked you in the very beginning before you came to True Cross Academy. He governs coal tar, ghouls, naberius, the Impure King and the Impure Princess. He's also in control of various decomposing fungi."

"Next is the King of Time. He controls Phantom Trains and a few laws of time and space." The older demon chose to casually skip his own title, for obvious reasons. "After that is the King of Fire, Iblis. He controls peg lanterns and salamanders or dragons. He-"

"Dragons?!" Rin's eccentric voice interrupted him. He looked at the boy and saw his eyes had blown wide in wonder and amazement. "There are real live dragons?!" Mephisto's eyebrow twitched a bit but he none the less laughed and nodded.

"Very rare, but yes. Can I continue now?" Mephisto's voice had a bit of a bite to it and Rin listened, mocking the motion of zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. "Next would be Beelzebub, the King of Insects. He controls the chuchi. The moth kings come only second to him. Then there's the King of Water, Egyn, who controls Krakens, of course, and reapers. The King of Spirits, Azazel, controls ghosts. Finally, the King of Light, Lucifer, controls seraphims. And that's it." He finished his lecture with a devilish smirk that had practically become his trademark to Rin, stepping away from the eloquently done diagram on the board.

Rin nodded at all the information letting it soak in and finding himself not at all bored with the subject. A thought popped into his head, however, as he scanned the names of the lower level demons.

"Er, Sam? What about the other demons? Like you and me? And cat sidhes like Kuro? Who governs them and us?" Mephisto sighed a bit, a lie formulating in his mind mixed with bits of truth.

"For me and you, we're kind of like drifters, only ruled by Satan. The rest of the demons are as well. It's actually quite a problem in Gehenna, at the moment. Cat sidhes, white foxes like the ones Kamiki has, naga like Shura's familiars, Yamakujira, the lords of the forests, and gufu are all ungoverned and have little to no protection from other larger demons and unregulated exorcists. Part of the reason we have demon kings is to give lower level demons some form of protection as well as a voice and a power to instill it. Those demons who are not governed must either become powerful enough on their own to defend themselves, rely on human worship, or become familiars to stay alive. It's quite sad actually."

"Why don't they just elect another King? Wouldn't that take care of the problem?" Rin said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. However, his suggestion was met with a roll of Sam's eyes and a lopsided frown.

"You have no grasp on how politics work, do you?" Rin's blank expression answered his question beautifully. He rolled his eyes again, breaking it down for the boy. "In Gehenna, the world runs a lot more like a monarchy. Satan is the true king and the eight demon kings are more like dukes. You have to be a part of Satan's bloodline in order to be a King. Satan's bloodline holds a specific power over lesser demons that allows the kings to hold unquestioned omnipotence." Mephisto shook his head at the unimpressed blank look that still adorned Rin's face. "It's not that hard to comprehend, Rin. The blood of Satan is a very powerful thing."

"I know that. I just don't see why it gives these eight kings the right to boss a bunch of other demons around. It's not right. To me, it sounds like those lesser demons without a king have it made! No rules or regulations, no one to boss them around." The younger demon's tail flicked and twitched behind him as he said all this, like the idea of such freedom was exciting to him. Mephisto shook his head and brushed his hair from his face.

"Life, especially politics, don't work that way. That's it for our lesson today. I've got to pack for tomorrow's field exercise. As do you," Mephisto said this with a smirk that crossed into a smile as disappointment crossed Rin's face for a moment. However, it disappeared as Rin smiled in return and stood from his place in the front desk.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow, Sam," Rin waved and made his way to the door. Mephisto watched him go then for a moment after the boy's lithe figure had disappeared from the doorway. The older demon shook his head, wiping down the chalk board to cover their lesson up. No one ever came into this classroom but them. But, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He transported himself to his office in a puff of pink, shifting back into his original form as the smoke cleared. His rooms were through a set of double doors on the right side of his desk. He opened the mahogany wood to reveal his queen-sized, crimson and pink comforted bed, complete with four posts and a salmon canopy above it. His wardrobe was across from the end of the bed, the bathroom door ajar beside it. He flicked his wrist, a gray duffel bag appearing on the bed before him. He didn't own much in the way of casual clothing for his teen character. He was lucky he owned anything at all, having had the common sense to purchase some modern clothing in case he was invited out to do something with the cram school students.

Well more specifically, if Rin had wanted to do something outside of cram school. Mephisto found he didn't quite despise the idea of doing something as useless as going out to karaoke or BBQ with his young ward. The idea of seeing Rin laughing at something he had said or smiling at him or walking a long beside him didn't quite turn and churn his stomach uncomfortably. The boy had such a nice smile when his demonic canines poked through, giving it a rogue, devilish look. His face angular as usual with a soft rounding of his cheeks due to his still young age. Horrifying as it may be to think of the fifteen year old in such a way, Mephisto still couldn't shake the image from his head.

As he had noted before, he knew what lust was and he had begun to feel it more and more around the boy, even when he wasn't around him. But, this lust was evolving or devolving into something different, stronger or weaker but definitely foreign. It was faint like a light he could only just see in his peripheral before it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, not allowing him to get a proper look at it.

The older demon physically attempted to shake the thoughts from his mind. They were of no use to him. He could lust all he wanted but not touch nor act nor acknowledge anything more than the fact it was lust that was gripping his mind every time Rin smiled or laughed or bent his chin into his palm to stare bored at Yukio or whomever else was lecturing.

Coming from his thoughts, Mephisto had just folded the final pieces of clothing into his suitcase when a green head of pointed hair appeared next to him on the bed. Amaimon's face was clear of expression as usual, however, lacking the accustomed mischief in his eyes. Mephisto paid him no heed despite this fact. Minutes passed, the room becoming layered with silence and a tension steadily becoming denounce to Mephisto.

Amaimon cocked his head at his brother, finally stating bluntly, "Why do you hold such interest in our younger brother?" Mephisto stopped in his movement, glancing at Amaimon over his shoulder as he set his duffel bag beside his doorway. He continued his movements after a moment.

"Ever tactful, brother. But, I have to say I don't know what you me-" Mephisto was interrupted by a hand twisting his torso and another hand gripping his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. Amaimon's shorter frame attempted to tower over the purple haired man. Mephisto stared down at the demon, none the less, unimpressed.

This did not stop Amaimon from saying in a voice like a dull blade dripped in acid, "You know what I mean, brother. Your eyes are always on him. Your days are always spent around him. Your thoughts are always-"

"I have no idea what your talking about, Amaimon. This is childish," Mephisto's voice was relaxed but his eyes stared heated daggers into Amaimon's lime irises. The younger brother snarled, his own eyes alighting in a luminescent fire all their own.

"You know damn well what I mean! You are my brother! I am your favorite. What do you find so interesting about this weakling? He's pathetic and worthless," Possessiveness threaded through his words. "If you don't tell me, I'll kill him. I'll make him scream. I'll destroy him because I'm your-" Amaimon's voice was cut off as Mephisto wrapped a vice-like grip on his throat. His clawed fingernails dug their way into the pale alabaster column between them through his gloves. Amaimon's eyes went wide as the snarl dropped from his face. He was lifted into the air, his feet suspended an inch from the ground. His hands dropped from Mephisto's body to clutch and claw at the strangling hold on his jugular.

"You will do no such thing. I told you you are not to harm anyone in Assiah until I give you permission. Do I make myself clear?" Mephisto's tone was cold as ice, belying the wrath dancing in his eyes. Amaimon felt a wave of fear hit him. He hadn't seen his elder brother look so demonic in a long time, the man favored being so unbelievably and frustratingly humane in Assiah. He had forgotten how truly terrifying his brother could be. He was foolish to think he could pull such a move.

The green-haired demon looked down, shame and bitterness filling his system. He felt poison drip onto his tongue and Mephisto saw the battle in his expression. "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

The room was quiet for a moment, heavy like lead had filled the room before Amaimon replied.

"Yes, elder brother."

Mephisto nodded, dropping the demon. Amaimon stumbled for a moment, his head refusing to look up. Mephisto walked past him without a parting glance, the dismissal scathing and obvious.

Amaimon held his tongue, making a quick exit through the door. His mind rang with rage and hurt, burning like fiery iron in his brain.

The Earth King disappeared out a window, leaping onto a roof, his fist imbedding itself into a wall of one of the school's high terraces.

Punches followed till his body practically exploded with unyielding anger. The demon's face shifted and morphed into something terrifyingly monstrous, yet human. His tail flickered madly behind him. He whipped around to search for the source of his rage, eyes wild.

The boy who had stolen his brother from him would pay.


	12. And Yet So Terrifying

The next morning, the rising sun found a lone figure nestled a top the roof of the main Academy building, on edge of one of the battlement-like extensions to the grand structure. The figure's tail lay dormant beside him, his face serene, his body loose. A single leg was extended out over the edge while the other was curled up into his chest. His arms were lazily wrapped around his knee, his chin hooked over his kneecap.

Rin was deep in thought, a strange occurrence for him but, none the less, he hardly noticed the sunrise nor the hour that came after it where the sky turned a brilliant blue and clouds began to float in. He barely took note of his friends as they began to gather in the courtyard below in expectation for the trip later that day. His mind had drifted to Shiro, Shura's ties with him making him wonder how much he had really known of the man.

He was his father, the person who had raised him since before he could remember and who had been by his side through every tantrum and fuck up. And yet there was still so much about him that Rin had never known. Hell, he hadn't even known Shiro was an exorcist until the very end.

The more Rin thought about it, the more he realized that his entire life before the incident was almost like a lie or a dream. He didn't know he was the son of Satan, he hadn't known that Shiro was an exorcist or that Yukio was an exorcist or that there were demons just waiting for Rin to become old enough to drag back to Gehenna for only God knows what.

It made Rin's chest clench and he felt as if he should be completely and utterly furious with everyone for hiding all these things from him. In the end it had only made Rin hurt more. If he had known about Satan and about demons and about the pain Yukio and Shiro were going through everyday just because Rin was alive, he could have done something. He could have saved Shiro or even defeated Satan right there. Well, maybe not that but he could have done something other than watch Shiro die.

But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at the old man. Nor Yukio. And it wasn't as if his life was so entirely terrible. He still had Yukio and, as his eyes wandered down to Bon and Shima and Konekomaru gathered below him, he realized he would have never known these people who now meant a great deal to him. And he would have never met Sam.

Rin smiled faintly to himself, just a slight upturn of the corner of his lips. He was definitely glad he had met Sam. The other demon was both a friend and somehow a mentor, even though they were the same age. Not just because Sam had tutored him but because he had been there each step of the way and in an odd way seemed a lot older than his face might denote.

The other made him feel happy in ways that his other friends didn't. It was because Rin couldn't be himself in the same way with the others as he could Sam. Sam was a demon pretending to be a normal human in the same way Rin was and it gave Rin immense joy to not have to hide himself from everyone on his own. It gave him the elated feeling of having a secret no one else could know about but the two people who had created it.

Sam was simply a highlight to his day Rin realized. He couldn't imagine if Sam were to disappear back to Gehenna and if Rin were to have to go back to hiding his true self from everyone, minus his brother.

Rin's face grew red at his thoughts. He enjoyed Sam's presence a lot. He looked forward to seeing him everyday and he'd never felt that way before. A slight pit formed in his stomach in a mixture of elation and confusion as well as revulsion. He really had never felt this way before. His thoughts were like those of the manga characters he read about who wallowed in thoughts of their love interests. As if Rin had feelings for Sam.

Rin's eyes widened a bit and he resisted the urge to look around him for fear his might have thought that too loud or worse said it aloud. His face grew a few shades redder and he gripped his knee tighter to his chest.

He really did feel strongly for Sam in a way he didn't for all his other friends, even Sheimi. It was odd and alien in his mind but as was the happiness Rin received from simply being mocked by the infuriating blonde demon.

Rin knew it wasn't right to feel this way about Sam. He should be feeling this way about Sheimi or at least Kamiki, though that thought repulsed him even more than the idea that someone might have heard him thinking the way he was about another male, a demon no less. Rin knew that if Bon or Shima or even Yukio were to find out he was feeling this way they'd be repulsed and even angered by Rin.

Yet, he didn't want to suppress the feelings because they were one of the best damn things he'd felt since before he could remember. They made him smile when no one was around to see. They made him look forward to going to class or studying or doing exceedingly well on a test so he could see that mixture of admonishment and pride in Sam's eyes when Rin bounced over to him in excitement, test paper in hand.

Rin didn't want to let his feelings for Sam go, but neither did he want anyone to know about it, especially Sam.

A slight harrowed look flickered through Rin's bright azure eyes as he thought of such a thing. Sam would be disgusted if he were to find out about Rin's feelings, wouldn't he? He'd never want to see Rin again. Rin couldn't bear the thought of that, even more so than the thought of someone else realizing Rin's feelings. Sam would leave and never spare another thought on Rin's behalf. That definitely frightened him more than anything else. Losing Sam as a friend was too great a price to pay.

The young teen realized it would definitely be better to lock these emotions away and to forget about his adoration for Sam's fiery eyes and brilliant hair, his appreciation for Sam's devious smile and air of cockiness, and his idolization for simply the demon teen who he'd come to be so fond of.

As this crossed his mind and a sense of assurance nestled in his heart, a flash of green sent Rin crashing back from the edge of the roof and into the wall of another tower. He had little time to cry out before the flash had him up in the air by his throat. Amaimon's seething eyes bore up at him as he clawed at the iron grip cutting off his oxygen supply.

"A-Amaimon-" Rin sputtered. Amaimon's lime green eyes seemed to flare with a hell's fire all their own, mouth curling into a sinister sneer.

"Yes, dear younger brother," the demon spat these words out like they were acid, punctuation each word with a tightening of his grip. "It's your lucky day, you know?" Rin was brought closer to the other's face, confusion muddling his brain in tandem with the lack of air to his mental workings. "You have taken something very precious to me and-"

"I haven't taken a damn-" Amaimon snarled and clenched his hand tighter causing Rin's eyes to bug from his head as true fear rushed like ice water through his system. His lips began to turn blue and his vision blurred black but he didn't pass out, though that was fast coming. His chest ached with the need to breath.

"Yes, you did and you will pay for it," Amaimon's voice was flat and terrifyingly monotonous despite the clear rage waiting to taint it. "You will pay with the blood of your friends and all you hold dear. Then you will pay with your life." Rin's body was flung over the edge of the roof, barreling for the courtyard below. He hardly had time to suck in a few precious gulps of air before he was flipping himself over in hopes of grabbing hold of something to break his fall.

A cry sounded from the center of the courtyard just as Rin had managed to grab a limb of a nearby tree and fling himself into its branches, cuts being gouged into his flesh before he hit the ground much softer than he would have before. Adrenaline pumped through him as he turned to find Amaimon's hand wrapped firmly around Sheimi's throat.

"Sheimi!" Rin yelled this as he staggered to his feet, reaching for his sword only to remember its absence. He growled in frustration and ran forward.

Bon had jumped up from his spot in the shade of a tree at the sudden appearance of the Demon King. He watched as Shiemi was lifted into the air, her delicate vocal cords letting out a terrified yelp. He had dashed forward only to be sent flying back with a swift, winding kick to the stomach. Shima and Konekomaru let out cries of surprise, dashing to Bon's side and staring in shock and awe at the Demon King's sudden appearance.

Rin took that moment to thank whatever gods that be that the school was empty of regular students and teachers as he charged forward, eyes ablaze with anger. He tried to ignore the fact that he would no doubt reveal himself, having no other weapon but the power of the blue flames. He tried to ignore the fact that after this his friends would probably never speak to him. If they all made it out of the Demon King's grasp alive. Damn you, Amaimon, Rin thought to himself.

Said King clutched the the thin neck in his hand so tightly Rin could see the veins begin to protrude from Shiemi's slowly reddening face. Rin felt a deep-seated rage settle in his stomach, the edges of his vision darkening and his focus funneling. The flames were appearing, he could feel their unnaturally cool touch graze over his skin. He didn't spare a glance at Bon or Shima or Koneko. He knew they would be looking at him with disgust and horror, if not fear.

"Shiemi!" Rin heard himself shriek. Amaimon's maddened eyes widened in excitement, enthralled by the reaction as Rin raced towards him. The Demon King flicked his wrist as Rin came close enough for the boy to see Shiemi had already blacked out from suffocation, sending the girl sailing into a wall. Her head bounced off the concrete with a sickening crack that reverberated in Rin's mind ten times over.

His vision became nonexistent minus the blue haze around him and the green demon before him. Amaimon let out a howl of pleasure as he began to dodge Rin's now-clawed hands. Rin's words were a mixture of growls and snarls, the laughter from his opponent driving him insane. Amaimon finally countered Rin's attacks, swiftly clutching the boy's burning arm and yanking it downwards. Rin toppled under his own momentum giving Amaimon the opening he needed to smash the boy's face into the ground, leaning in close as Rin thrashed beneath him. The demon dug his knee into the younger one's spine with his lips close behind the other's pointed ear.

"You've taken my brother from me, Okumura. Now, you will feel true pain," Amaimon grabbed Rin's hair and wrenched his head back. Rin spat in the elder's face, earning himself a face full of dirt. Amaimon's strength was overwhelming, Rin felt doubt creep into his mind. He couldn't save his friends against this demon. This was way out of his league. Amaimon seemed to sense his insecurity as a blood-curdling laugh escaped the demon before he picked Rin up by his hair once again and stood, jumping into the air and throwing Rin up as well. There was a flurry of kicks and hits aimed at Rin as he tried and failed to orientate himself. Anger and flames engulfed him making his brain fuzzy and making it nearly impossible to do anything coherently, leaving him at the mercy of the king.

One carefully aimed kick had Rin out of the air and hitting the ground with such force that the dirt quaked and opened in tattered clumps. He heard Yukio and Shura's shocked voices faintly and felt hope flood his system.

However, Amaimon noticed them as well, he barked something in a low voice that Rin's ruined brain couldn't understand. Rin managed to sit up and turn his head just in time to see a massive green goblin seemed to appear from thin air and begin to attack his brother and mentor. The two immediately had their weapons drawn and could no doubt protect themselves but that meant no help for Rin. The boy turned his eyes to the Demon King whose attention was still trained on more goblins that began to appear from nowhere.

Rin saw his chance and lurched forward, giving into the flames that seemed to be urging him to hand over control. As soon as he let them engulf him entirely, he was warm. Warm and lost inside himself. It was like being held gently by a roaring wildfire or like being blanketed by a heated lightning storm. There was so much going on around him, but within him he was still. Rin was lost to the world, unseeing, unhearing, but it welt so warm, so homely, so welcoming, he didn't mind. The flames were moving him, thinking for him, saving his friends for him, helping him.

It was as if his senses were honed to near perfection, seeing every tiny movement Amaimon made, almost as if he knew what the Demon King was going to do before he did it.

Amaimon's eyes grew wide as he watched the blue boy before him suddenly become faster than before, stronger than before, angrier than before. There was a shot of what felt like fear before Amaimon was meant with a barrage of inhumanly concentrated punches and kicks. He felt bones crack, skin rip, blood poor. The azure flames were overwhelming and he could not find the voice to cackle nor cry out for help nor insult nor beg.

Rin's bright irises were flecked with purple and red and distorted into a tri-pointed, jagad spherical shape and they were the last thing Amaimon saw before Rin's fist sent him flying back at an incredible speed, smoke and debris trailing after him as if the friction of Rin's fiery punches had heated his body. He broke through the nearest building in which he had tossed Shiemi into, crumbling the walls and emerging on the other side in a pile of rubble and dust.

Rin's demonized body dismissed Amaimon then, as if deciding he was no longer a threat, victorious pleasure filling his every bone. His claws curled, his eyes darted back in forth rigidly, his back hunched, his lips furled, and from those lips fell a stream of unearthly howls and snarls. His demonic senses still wished for the thrill of battle, making his hunches rise and his hair stand on end. He became lost to the lines between friend and foe and turned toward his fellow exorcist, his inner self too lost in the warmth to realize what he was doing as he stared down his friends with blood lust in his eyes


	13. Could Have Such Power

Mephisto yawned to himself, stretching as he walked out onto the balcony of his office. He was in his Samael form, which ached and creaked in all its human glory. The sunshine streaming from the sunrise warmed his skin and made those aches and creaks disperse. He almost smiled at the sunrise. A very odd act for him indeed. The urge made him scowl instead, leaning forward onto the railing of the granite balcony.

He looked out at the rather vacant True Cross Academy and a swell of pride bubbled in his chest. This was his Academy, his beautiful, educated, magnificent, Aca-

An explosion of stone and debris cut off the appreciative thought, drawing Mephisto's attention toward the center of the Academy. His eyes widened and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end at what he saw there.

In the courtyard, just a few hundred yards away, two figures danced around each other, throwing punches and trading kicks, leaping into the air and slamming into the ground. A chill ran down his spine as he realized one of those figures was glowing blue and quickly losing the battle.

Rin.

Sam was leaping from the balcony without a thought. He swung himself over the railing and jumped to the nearest roof, sprinting across it and getting closer to the courtyard. The second figure became clearer and the chill from before became an Arctic blizzard storming inside his veins.

A man with head of blonde hair and a large sword clutched tightly in his hand was battling with Rin. Arthur Angel, the Paladin was attacking Rin. A wall not far from them was crumbled and Amaimon's scent was everywhere. Mephisto pieced together what must have happened. Idiot brother attacking other idiot brother. Rage boiled in Mephisto's blood and he made sure to make a note to behead Amaimon the next chance he got.

His attention was drawn back to the courtyard and the battle at hand as a roar of pain and anger left Rin's mouth. Mephisto noticed the ExWires littering one side of the grass in various states of disheavel and astonishment. They watched Rin battle the Paladin in a state of paralyzed shock. Yukio and Shura were preoccupied with what looked to be Amaimon's Goblin.

Mephisto debated what to do since it was clear Rin would get no help from any of them and he would surely be killed if the Paladin continued. It was clear in the sloppy was Rin was now moving and the periodic whines and screams of pain from their battle that Rin was deteriorating quickly. His mind was succumbing to the flames. If he continued his human side would be lost.

But if Sam went down there, he would be revealing himself as Mephisto. Or at least he would be taking the chance of doing so. And what exactly could he do? Rin's mind was lost in a sea of rage and the instinct to kill and survive. The part of Mephisto that was Sam was practically keening to go down there and save Rin.

However, Mephisto would not allow it. There were far too many consequences of revealing himself. It would set his entire plan back not to mention True Cross would already be furious that Mephisto had concealed Rin from them. No, he simply could not allow himself to go down there.

Yet, as another cry of pain came from Rin, the tip of Arthur's sword imbedding itself into the black haired boy's side, Mephisto's logic could not fight Sam's urge to save Rin. In less than a second, he was before the Paladin, fire ablaze in his eyes as he pulled the sword from Rin's side, ignoring the burn of the holy blade on his skin. He shoved Arthur back, using his hand on the tip of the broad sword to gain leverage. Arthur's shock at his appearance was short lived, giving Sam only long enough to turn to Rin and feel a wave of pity hit him as the boy snarled in his face with blank, dead eyes before Sam felt the tip of the sword in his back.

"Who are you? Tell me now, demon, before I run you through," Arthur's voice was grating on Mephisto's ears and he didn't give the man even a glance, focusing his soul attention on Rin, whose mind was quickly disappearing in the heat of his own flames. He moved forward, the sword pressing harder into his back, slicing the fabric of his shirt and puncturing his skin gently, and placed his hands on Rin's quivering shoulders, steadying his swaying form. A throaty snarl ripped out of the boy's lips and he made to lunge, Sam's soft touch on his arms quickly becoming an iron grip to keep Rin from attacking him in his blind fury.

The burnt orange eyes stared into Rin's empty red-violet irises and Sam felt a deep longing to see the blue, galactic eyes he had grown so intrigued by. His grip tightened and Rin's squirming increased while the humanity in his eyes faded ever still. The urge to speak to the boy, to bring him back, to see those beautiful eyes regain consciousness was overwhelming.

"Rin."

* * *

 **Lost.. Rin was lost. He could see the world outside moving, blurs of colors and shapes, muffled noises like hearing through a wall. It was all in slow motion and yet impossibly fast. He was floating in this mess of senses, unable to feel anything but an impossibly icy heat. It burned and it froze him all at the same time. It was like an inferno meeting a blizzard inside him and all around him. He was confused. He was scared. He was lost.**

He was so very lost.

He tried to cry out but his voice was stolen from him. He tried to curl up to protect himself but his limbs wouldn't respond. Where was he? Why did he hurt so much yet feel so numb? His body was freezing cold and yet he was on fire. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. And he was lost.

Until, Rin heard a voice, soft, familiar, pleading. It was calling his name, calling his name in a tone that made his empty chest suddenly begin to beat. The voice broke through the white noise of the muffled shouts and snarls all around him. The more it spoke, the more he felt his heart beat.

It was like his heart had suddenly been restarted and then he was falling. He seemed to leave his stomach behind while the voice was all around him as he fell back-first into nothing.

"Rin, listen. You have to calm down." The voice urged him so softly, so gently. Rin's heart lurched at the affectionate tone. No one had ever spoke to him like that. No one had ever spoken to him like he was precious or fragile. And right now Rin felt like he was going to burn away to ash. He felt fragile. And the voice was making it go away. Feeling spread from his chest outward, not quite reaching his fingers and toes.

"Calm down, Rin," it shushed him, like a salve on Rin's heated body and like a warm blanket on the frigid cold. "Breathe, Rin. You've got to calm down." The black haired teen felt his lungs suddenly burst to life in the same way his heart had. Oxygen flooded his senses and he could finally see clearly.

Eyes, bright like the sun, stared back at him. They were beautiful and warm, tinted with concern and hesitation. There was a porcelain pale face surrounding those eyes and a gorgeously gold fringe around the worried face. His heart ached at the sight and he felt himself sway. He didn't know where he was, what he was doing, but he didn't care with this face before him.

"S-Sam.." Rin was barely able to rasp the name out and the effort to speak seemed to take the last of his strength as he finally swayed forward. Sam's hands where they had been limply holding Rin's arms quickly tightened. He hardly huffed as the boy's nearly nonexistent weight leaned against him.

With very little effort, Mephisto picked the exhausted boy up, an arm under his knees and an arm behind his shoulders. He tilted the demon so his head fell onto his shoulder, promptly cradling Rin to his chest in a protective manner.

Only then did he finally turn his attention to Arthur and the sword that was firmly planted in his back. He was surprised the Paladin had not made good on the promise to run him through.

Mephisto begrudgingly found all eyes on him. Arthur and his entourage, that had steadily appeared on the scene when Mephisto was attempting to calm the shrieking and growling Rin, were staring at him with a mixture of confusion and wariness, the ExWires with shock, Yukio and Shura with astonishment and anger.

"Who are you? Answer me now in the name of True Cross Order or face the consequences." Arthur's voice was calm and collected, sickeningly so. Mephisto scowled for a moment before covering it up with signature smirk.

"Samael Thyme," the arrogance and loathing in his voice was tangible. Arthur raised an eyebrow at the tone, eyes narrowing simultaneously. Sam copied the motion, tightening his hold on Rin's body. Arthur and Mephisto had never spent much time around each other. But if this man was Paladin, Mephisto had no doubt that the man could recognize his current form was an illusion.

"Reveal yourself, demon. Now." Mephisto suppressed a wince as his assumption was right, releasing the illusion after a moment of calculated hesitation. There was a widening of Arthur's eyes and a chorus of gasps from their little audience on the other side of the courtyard as they all realized Mephisto had been Sam all along. Mephisto could practically hear the questions and thoughts running through all their minds. He spared a moment to appreciate the fact Rin was asleep and wasn't yet aware that the boy he had become such close friends with was actually his manipulative headmaster.

Mephisto had, in the very beginning when he had formulated the plan, thought about what would happen if everyone somehow found out about his charade. He had assumed he wouldn't have become so close to Rin that the relationship would seem questionable.

But here, now, as Mephisto reflected on all the time the two had spoke alone in confidence or paired up together for missions or shared an inside joke and secret smiles, he realized how unnatural and perverted the weak minds of these humans would cast him as. In the Gehenna, incest and homosexual relations were common. But, here in Assiah, it was not so. Not to mention the age difference and the fact Rin was a student.

Mephisto felt a wave of unfamiliar regret as he realized how this would reflect on Rin but he did not dwell on it. Rather, he ignored the stares of everyone but Arthur and gave the man a deadpan.

"Mephisto. There will be an investigation into why you were disguised as another demon but, for now, I seek only to apprehend the spawn of Satan which you have hidden from us for all these years. We were under the impression the sons of Yuri Egin had been destroyed fifteen years ago. You and Rin Okumura will come with me. Willingly or by force, it does not matter." The blond finished his speech with a flourish of his sword pointing the tip at Mephisto's neck.

There was a fierce battle in Mephisto's body. His demonic instincts screamed and howled for him to keep Rin from this man. But, his more logical side knew this was the best way. Amaimon would surely seek revenge for Rin's defeating him and would come after him. Mephisto could use the distraction to escape. He would get Rin out of there and even if the boy found out about Sam's true identity and wished never to see him again, he'd still be safe.

With that plan in mind, Mephisto nodded his agreement and allowed the exorcists that had come with Arthur to take Rin from him, despite the protesting of his inner demon, before following the man himself, ignoring the gawking of his students and Shura.


	14. We're All Its Victims

Sorry for the long wait. I broke my leg.. So yeah. Been kinda drugged out. Anyway, here is this. I hope you enjoy. If not... Well I mean it's your opinion. I myself enjoy what I've written. To those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! 3 It makes writing this easier and is quite encouraging. *hint hint*

"Mephisto Pheles, you have been proven guilty of two counts of deception against True Cross Order, treason, allowing a high-level demon beyond the boundaries of True Cross Academy, as well as questionable relations with a student. For all these charges, you have been sentenced to imprisonment in True Cross Prison and suspended from your position as head of True Cross Order of Japan as well as director of True Cross Academy. You are here now as witness testimony to the demon spawn of Satan, Rin Okumura, a demon you and Shiro Fujimoto were ordered to dispose of fifteen years ago. This hearing is to decide the demon's fa-" There was a loud crash from deep within the recesses of True Cross Headquarters dungeon-like hallways, cutting of the elder who seemed to be in no need of breath during the long winded speech Mephisto was being subjected to. The demon's lips twitched upward as a murmur rose in the grandiose courtroom.

From his position on an impressively tall witness stand just in front of a large crystal-like structure containing the unconscious, still released Rin, meant to contain him from any outbursts, Mephisto could see the confusion ghosting over the attending True Cross exorcists faces. Though he could not see the elders' expressions, he was sure they were similar. A laugh bubbled from his lips, a chuckle really. The elder who had been speaking before quickly turned to Mephisto, voice stern and frustrated.

"What is happening? Mephisto, are you are behind this?" Mephisto opened his mouth to answer just a guard, looking battered and dishevelled, came dashing in, his exorcist coat torn across the shoulder and hem, dusted with dirt.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," he said with a bow, making Mephisto scoff at the formality of humans. "But, there has been a breach in the Eastern Gate. It's Amaimon, sir, the Earth King." A stifling air of horror and surprise took over the room, a chorus of gasps reaching Mephisto's ears. The smirk on his lips grew wider as the elders began to shout orders only to be rebuffed when informed all reinforcements were already broken through. The guard spoke in a weary, clearly fretting, tone. "He is barely being contained, sir. He will surely reach this chamber before we can reach outlying forces." Mephisto chose this moment to speak.

"It seems you may be in need of my help." The elders once again turned to him abruptly. "Drop the charges on me and Okumura and I will help you." Mephisto's smirk remained while he addressed the entirety of the room. "Let us see if Shiro Fujimoto raised a murderous demon or a potential asset to your impeccable arsenal of demons such as myself. The Spawn of Satan is a pawn I highly doubt those of us intelligent enough to think strategically could stand to simply lock away." He sensed hesitation and relented to put his neck on the line for the boy who he had become so protective, nearly enamored, with. "If he does not prove to be manageable and pliable to your whims, then you may retain me and do as you like with both of us." The bargain had a desired effect as the elders turned to discuss amongst themselves. Mephisto knew his head in exchange for their freedom would sway them in his favor. His assurance proved true.

"Okay, Mephisto, but we will hold you to your deal should the Spawn prove dangerous." Mephisto didn't bother to reply as he jumped from the stand to retrieve Kurikara from an unsuspecting exorcist who had brought in the 'evidence'. The man let out an effeminate gasp as Mephisto grabbed the sword from his back. The demon smirked and sauntered over to the crystal.

A few exorcists stepped forward and placed small metal devices on the surface of the gem cell. They emitted a light buzzing sound and the exorcists stepped back. The entire structure began to shake and shattered into small shards that disintegrated into seemingly thin air.

Mephisto stepped forward quickly to catch Rin as he fell, the boy weighing what seemed to be next to nothing. Mephisto set the boy down and pulled his sword out, releasing Rin's power. This roused the boy from his unconscious state, eyes opening slowly to reveal those galactic orbs that Mephisto was so fascinated by. He made no noise, no sign that he was actually conscious aside from the opening of his eyes to stare blankly at Mephisto's face.

The older demon realized that, under the power of his flames, the boy was still overcome. He made to close the sword in order to bring Rin to a responsive state but Amaimon chose that moment to finally break through one of the heavy wooden doors leading into the high-ceilinged chamber, a deafening roar spilling from his lips. The King was in his released form, a congregation of heavy rocks and boulders covering his body and making him a forty foot tall animated clay statue. The beast spouted something about Rin needing to pay as it assaulted the exorcists who were still fool hearted enough to take on the King.

Rin's instincts must have immediately sensed the threat as his body sluggishly rose from the ground where Mephisto was kneeled beside him, deft hand pulling the sword from the headmaster's own, leaving the man with just the scabbard.

The last of the exorcists were tossed into a nearby boxed in row of seats, sending wood and debris flying in hazardous directions. Amaimon's eyes narrowed on Rin. The young demon was nearly dragging his feet towards the rock structure, slow like he was in a drugged state, his head cocked to the side, his tail limp and trailing behind him, sword and arm limp at his side.

An earthen fist came crashing down to grip Rin, squeezing him and lifting him close to the Earth King's muddy face. A crazed smile was settled on Amaimon's face and Mephisto felt worry trickle up his spine, though his mind told him that; a, he must let Rin do this on his own, b, Rin's released state would never allow itself to be truly harmed, c, Rin is much stronger than the already weakened Amaimon.

"Little Brother, you have no idea how much it pains me to.." the King cackled and squeezed Rin's still unresponsive body even tighter, "... see you alive! I shall fix that then have Brother all to myself!" Mephisto suppressed a scoff at such a statement, mentally mocking Amaimon for thinking he would ever forgive him for disobeying his orders, for attempting to murder Rin.

Rin let out a snarl, as if life had suddenly been restored to his body, and his flames grew from a low spark into a towering inferno. Whatever moisture was in the dirt around his body evaporated and Rin broke the crackling crust left behind with ease, running skillfully up the arm that had previously been holding him with such speed it even surprised Mephisto.

Kurikara came down, slicing through Amaimon's arm and dragging a howl of pain from the King's lips. Rin flipped gracefully off the falling rocks, landing on his opponent's immense shoulder. Amaimon turned his head as if to bite at the boy, a demented laugh on his lips that matched the insanity in his eyes. He hooked Rin's leg with one of his rock canines but the boy merely used it as leverage to smash his foot through the roof of the demon's mouth.

Using his sword as leverage, Rin spun on the tip of the blade, other foot colliding with Amaimon's terra cotta nose. Rocks from the King's lower face scattered and rained down on the onlooking exorcist's.

Mephisto caught sight of Rin's expression and felt a chill settle across his skin. There was an eerie madness in those now violet eyes, though the rest of his face lacked emotion minus a tightness in his jaw. It was a look he had never seen on Rin's face and it vaguely reminded him of a face Father made when he was particularly enraged by something. This thought was even more unsettling than the look that spurred it.

The blue flamed demon evaded a freshly regenerated arm from Amaimon and used it as a platform to glide over once again. Rin reeled around, stabbing his sword through the rock hand and into the shoulder it had just connected with. The hand was lodged there for a moment and Rin left the sword imbedded. Mephisto's eyes widened and his fingers itched with the urge to rush forward, unbelieving that Rin would leave his only weapon behind. Idiot boy. Was he trying to get himself crushed?

However, as that thought flitted through the man's mind, Rin turned on his heel and kneeled on Amaimon's squirming arm before thrusting his own arm through the left side of the rock structure's chest. The entire room looked on with horrified eyes as Rin pulled his hand back.

In his clawed grasp was Amaimon's fist sized heart. There was blood dripping from it and pouring down Rin's arm. The boy somersaulted backwards, pulling his sword out of his shrinking opponent as he went and landing sprily on his feet.

He was facing Mephisto where he landed, completely disregarding Amaimon's lifeless, now-normal-sized body as it landed in an unmoving heap on a pile of rubble, a gaping hole in his chest. Rin's face was now twisted into one of the most bloodthirsty expressions Mephisto had ever seen. It was haunting, eyes wide and pupils dilated, lips pulled back into an empty grin, a drop of blood marring his pale cheek.

Mephisto stepped forward cautiously, drawing Rin's attention towards him. The older demon could feel the elders' eyes on him, their gazes expecting and calculating. He took another tentative stride and Rin cocked his head, turning his hand over. The heart landed with a wet thud, resounding in the quiet cavern.

The demon's tail flickered and twitched behind him as he watched the other demon, whose scent seemed so vaguely familiar to him, come closer as the rest of the room waited on a baited breathe. The scene looked like that of a wild animal being approached by an animal control officer. The scent filling his nose brought flashes of golden colors and a smirk. It brought a warmth to his body and the cold flames across his skin seemed to dissipate.

As Rin's flames disappeared, he dropped his sword and swayed. Mephisto moved forward to once again catch the boy as he lost consciousness. Hefting the boy into his arms, a sense of deja vu tickled the back of his mine and he turned to the elders. A smirk spread across his lips once again as he saw the thin lines most of the elders wore on their own lips.

"As you may all see, Rin Okumura is a useful weapon and can easily be controlled. Now, I will be returning to my school before my absent is missed too dearly. My students will be returning soon and there is much to do." Mephisto bowed in a nearly mocking way. He glanced at Amaimon's body and made a face. "I will also be sending my dearly departed brother to Gehenna for a proper burial. Good day to you all."

Without giving the elders a chance to respond and with a puff of purple smoke, the three demons were gone.


	15. Like The Fools We Are

Here's another installment! Hope you enjoy! I'm really motivated to write lately soooo.. Tomorrow, I start back another semester of fun fun fun college which means I will probably go back to slow updates but what with my leg healing and being able to walk again and being off my pain meds... Well expect a lot more activity on this here Fanfiction. I would dearly love to see it come to fruition and finish soon.

Anyway! I own nothing! So enjoy!

Mephisto stood in the True Cross Academy Infirmary, eyes trained on the sleeping boy below him. Rin's chest rose and fell softly, his lips parted to let out little puffs of breath. His left cheek had a small bandage on it and a bruise shone purple and blue on the bridge of his nose and down under his eyes. He had suffered a broken nose, a few bruised ribs, and a couple of large cuts and bruises elsewhere from his two battles with the Earth King that had already healed to nearly nothing, according to the nurse. Rin had his demonic blood to thank for that.

Mephisto guessed the rest of his wounds would be gone by morning. At least, the physical ones. Mephisto had no doubt that Rin would soon become aware of the older demon's deception and, from his time spent with the younger Okumura, he knew it would definitely not be a welcome revelation.

Even worse would be the impact the boy would feel from hearing it from his friends rather than the man himself.

Mephisto was sure that after spending so much time together over the last few months, his presence in Rin's life would be missed. Or at least 'Sam's' would be.

Looking back on their time together, he realized how close they had actually become. The immense amount of study sessions, the missions spent guarding each other closely, the long schools days spent sitting beside each other conversing quietly, they had all added up to a deep seated affection for the older Okumura that he hadn't realized he had developed.

Mephisto realized he would indeed miss the younger demon's presence in his day-to-day life. The bright smile, the impossibly blue eyes, the pale skin, the admittedly charming snort, the always oblivious manner, the determination to succeed. He had grown quite fond of all these traits.

It was odd to the millenias-old demon to feel like this. He had never been so taken by one of his partners before, not that Rin was his partner.

Though, that fact made it all the more bizarre because their relationship consisted of nothing more than an infatuation on both parties and one-sided a lustful need. Mephisto had never had a romantic affiliation with another being unless it pertained to sex and it would need to be deeply satisfying and numerous at that.

So, his affection for the boy was made all the more ludicrous and bewildering. It also made it all the more painful, an emotional type of painful to which Mephisto had never been privy to until this point, to know that in less than a day, Rin will no longer want anything to do with him or 'Samael'. To know he will no doubt look upon him with disdain, with regret, with frustration, with hurt, with anger.

Mephisto removed his top hat, running a hand through his long bangs. He had never had such worries before. Never felt regretful over the loss of something, never quite felt loss like this at all. IT was an unsettling feeling.

Looking down at the peaceful face below, he felt an insurmountable urge to do something he had never had any inclination to do to a partner before.

With a glance around the room to assure there was nothing to see him performing such an uncharacteristic act, Mephisto leaned down and pressed his lips to Rin's alabaster forehead, brushing a lock of onyx hair out of the way with a purple gloved hand. He let the kiss longer there for a moment, relishing in the melancholy of being so close to the source of the scent that would soon ooze disdain for him.

Rin stirred and Mephisto moved his head back slightly. The boy's eyes fluttered but remained closed. It was clear he was waking. Mephisto realized this would probably be the last time he would ever be allowed so near to his younger brother. Anytime those beautiful, celestial eyes looked at him after he was made knowledgeable of Mephisto's deceit, there would no doubt be a furious animosity rather than the affectionate amiability Mephisto had just grown used to.

 _Carpe diem_ was the ironically poetic thought that came to him.

Mephisto leaned in again and tentatively pressed his lips to Rin's, shutting his eyes as an uncharacteristic longing tingled his senses. The kiss was soft and merely a brushing of skin. Yet, it was one of the most intimate things Mephisto had ever felt, despite his insurmountable and advanced amount of sexual relationships with men and women alike.

His innocent relationship with Rin seemed to strip his nerve endings bare the more time they spent together. He felt emotions stronger than he ever had and more varied than he ever had. It felt as if pieces of him were being peeled and pried away, revealing a person beneath the layers that he wasn't familiar with.

He couldn't say if the vulnerability was something he wanted to embrace or cast away.

The older demon's ears pricked to the sound of voices coming from down the hallway. He opened his eyes and pulled away from his ward, only to find Rin's dazed, half-lidded eyes looking back at him, unseeing in his freshly awoken stupor. Mephisto's lips drew into a thin line as Rin opened his heavenly eyes all the way and looked around the room. The older demon waited to see the rejection in those eyes but he was only met with bewilderment. The boy must not have been coherent enough to realize his headmaster had just stolen his first kiss.

Rin focused on Mephisto for a moment and opened his mouth as if to question his being there.

Mephisto smirked, a mixture of relief and sorrow in his eyes, and put a finger to his lips, placing his hat back atop his head as Rin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

The voices Mephisto had heard came closer and were those of the other ExWires, who would no doubt raise a riot should they see him looming over their classmate, knowing what they knew. The demon gave Rin a mock salute, a bolt of foreign regret in his chest as he disappeared with a puff of purple smoke.

As the smoke cleared, the door to the room opened, revealing a nurse leading Suguro, Konekomaru, Shima, Kamiki, and Shiemi into the room and leaving them there with a warning that visiting hours ended soon.

Rin tore his still baffled gaze from where Mephisto had been standing to concentrate on his friends entering. A grin spread across his lips and he pulled himself up from where he was laying, wincing as his ribs protested the movement.

"Guys! Why on earth am I-" His smile fell as he noticed a palpable tension in the air and the troubled expressions on all of his classmates' faces. "What's wrong?" Finally, after a moment of silence, Shiemi shook her innocent head, rushing to his bedside. She wrapped her arms around him, careful of his injuries, causing a dust of pink to appear on his cheeks as he raised an arm to hesitantly return the hug. His eyes widened slightly when he felt her shoulders begin to shake with quiet tears. Rin looked to the others for an explanation but only Shima would meet his eyes. "Guys?" he asked, hoping someone would fill him in on whatever it was he was missing. He didn't even know why he was in the hospital, let alone whatever he had done to make his friends so nervous.

Shiemi let him go and stepped away, wiping her hand under her eyes as she gave him a smile. "You don't remember anything, do you?" Rin's eyebrows furrowed again, signalling that he in fact did not remember whatever it was they were talking about.

"What do you mean? What don't I-" Suguro chose this moment to burst, a vein popping out of his forehead as he moved forward and gripped the collar of Rin's tattered, white school shirt.

"How long?" he asked with venom, anger, and, what almost sounded like, hurt in his voice. Rin simply looked back at him, hand coming up to grab the fist at his neck, stunned and annoyed.

"How long what?! What's your problem?!" Apparently that was not the response Bon was hoping for. He grabbed Rin's shoulder and pulled him up and out of the hospital bed to push him against the adjacent wall, drawing a wince from Rin. Shiemi made a move to step forward but Shima, ever the mysteriously cosmopolitan one, put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"My problem is you! How long were you planning on hiding the fact you were Satan's demon spawn from all of us?! Were you ever going to tell us? Don't you think we all deserved to know?" Rin's eyes grew to the size of saucers as he memories of Amaimon's appearance came flooding into his head. He looked at Suguro dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. This only seemed to anger the mohawked teen more as he pulled back his fist and punched Rin's jaw, the boy's head leaving a minute indent in the wall as it bounced back. "You're so damn selfish! Did you think we didn't deserve to know? How long were you going to continue to lie to all of us?! What were you thinking? You're a pathetic, selfish bas-" Rin interrupted him, pushing forward, causing Bon to stumble as he ripped the hand from his shirt.

"I was afraid! I was afraid, okay? Do you think it was easy having to hide myself?! I was afraid of what you would think! I am the son of Satan, yes! If you knew, none of you would have ever came near me! You are all in training to KILL beings like me! You would have called me a demon! You would have hated me! You have no idea what it feels like to have people look at you with-" Rin realized how loud his voice was becoming as Bon took a step back, a look on his face that made Rin's chest tighten. He looked to Konekomaru, Kamiki, Shima, and even Shiemi and saw their expressions mirrored Bon's. "-fear…"

Rin hung his head for a second, taking a deep breathe and drawing his hand up to wipe across his face. He leveled his gaze with Suguro's and spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for deceiving you all. I'm sorry. It's just.. I was frightened. And I was told to not let any of you know. I'm sorry! I'm sorry for frightening you. I was just trying to protect you.. From me.. From Amaimon. From the truth. I'm sorry, guys, please, believe me when I say I'm so freaking sorry." The demon hung his head, his shoulders slumping. He had known this day would come. He had expected the rejection, the fear, the anger. He expected the hatred, the hurt, the loss. He expected the slap from Kamiki as she stepped up to apparently take her turn laying into him. He didn't respond to the hit, taking the sting of the slap in stride and letting the tongue lashing come with resignation.

That's why it surprised him so greatly when he felt a delicate, cautious hand on his bicep. He looked up with surprise to find himself looking into Kamiki's face, a lack of anger there. Instead, there was a faint blush across her cheeks as she looked to the side.

"We all talked about it. You know.. While you were at the Vatican. And we decided to let Suguro have his moment to take his anger out but," She took her hand away to motion to the rest of the teens, who had all come a little closer. "We already decided to forgive you, Rin." Rin's lips parted in astonishment as he stared at the girl as if she had grown two heads.

"What?" he asked dumbly. Kamiki rolled her eyes and snorted.

"We're your friends, Okumura. Yes, we're bitter and hurt that you kept this from us, that you, in essence, betrayed our trust. But, we accept you. You put your life and secret on the line and saved us from a Demon King. Do you think so lowly of us that we would just abandon you? The fact you're Satan's son doesn't.." She trailed off, a fiery redness nearly reaching her ears as she lost her nerve and 'chh'ed, withdrawing her arm. Shima picked up her thought with an amiable smile, drawing Rin's focus unto him.

"The fact you're the son of Satan doesn't change the fact that we know you, Rin. And you're our friend."

Rin stood in a shocked silence for a moment. Suguro was scratching his nose, still looking slightly peeved but none the less accepting. Kamiki was still red and had crossed her arms over her chest but there was a small upward curve to her lips. Shima was still smiling at him, being the most welcoming of them all. Shiemi had her hands behind her back, a close-lipped grin so wide on her face, her eyes were mere slits. Konekomaru was the only one who still seemed uncomfortable, standing just behind Shima. But, despite the hesitation present in his expression, he was giving Rin a sheepish smile.

The astounded young demon shook his head slowly, his lips pulling back to reveal bright white canines. These were his friends. They cared for him. For once.. He had people who wanted to stand by his side. He felt tears prick in the corner of his eyes but pushed them away, speaking with a voice that nearly cracked with relief and joy.

"Thank you, guys."


	16. We Fall Victim

BOOM. There it is. Dramatic as fuck on Rin's part but whatever, he's an eccentric kid with a fear of rejection! Go with it. Anyway! Thank you to all my lovely reviewers. It really is encouraging to receive feed back on my work. Please enjoy!

Hope it's not too out of the blue or wild or anything...

There was a range of awkward hugs and pats on the back between the boys of the group and a chorus of 'It's good to see you alive's. Rin felt as if his cheeks would split by the end of it all, feeling more loved and wanted than he could ever recall being.

However, he felt as if there was something they were holding back. He couldn't put his finger on it and, thus, simply let it go, not wanting to ruin the reunion. He gave Bon a fist bump, thanking him for knocking some sense into him and that there were no hard feelings.

"Nah, no hard feelings as long as you're still planning on ganking Satan with me. If not, then we might have couple of problems," The mohawked boy gave Rin a raised eyebrow 'Answer Wisely' glance, which Rin laughed at and shook his head.

"Dude, it's been the plan all along to make Satan pay for his bull. I ain't backing out just because we're related. So no worried, okay?" Rin patted Bon's shoulder and grinned again. Bon nodded curtly as if he found the response acceptable.

"Yeah, okay. Though, I gotta say you scared the living hell out of Konekomaru.I don't think he's stopped shaking since the incident," Bon jutted a thumb at the poor, bald headed boy, who jumped at the sudden attention after having stood behind everyone quiet and unnoticed at that point. It was true that he was deeply shaken by the entire affair and hardly knew what to think of being friend's with the biological son of the most frightening entity in both Gehenna and Assiah.

Rin gave his shortest friend a look and came over to him. His grin dropped when he noticed Koneko attempt to take a casual step away from im as he approached.

"Konekomaru, you know I would never hurt any of you guys. You guys are my friends and I could never imagine hurting any of you. The very idea.." He shuddered. "Well, it freaks me out for sure. Can we please just be cool? I'm sure if I ever was capable of hurting any of you, Bon would put me in my place before I got very far." Rin smiled brightly and laughed as Bon murmured 'Damn right' behind him. Konekomaru smiled and even let out a chuckle himself.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," The boy seemed more assured and it made Rin grin till he felt someone tug harshly at his tail. He let out an impromptu shriek that nearly made Koneko piss his pants, turning around to find the perpetrator. An abash looking Shima, holding back a chuckle, while Bon roared in laughter and Kamiki and Shiemi giggled into their hands was what he saw. He grabbed his aching tail carefully, shoving it into the back of his pants.

"That fucking hurt, you bunch of doucheholes. Don't touch my damn tail! It's a sensitive appendage!" His defensive tone was met with only more laughter and a comment about how that was the weirdest sentence they had ever heard.

The air was light with their jubilance as Yukio entered, surprised to see his brother out of bed and surrounded by his fellow classmates. Let alone to see them all laughing. He was glad that whatever tension that had been caused by the expulsion of Rin's secret was quickly put to rest by Rin's odd form of charisma.

When Rin caught sight of his twin, his grin grew impossibly in size. He came forward to throw his arm around the boy in a half hug, which was returned with a soft smile.

"Nii-san," Yukio said warmly, putting his hands on either of Rin's shoulders to hold him at length and give him a once over. "I'm glad you're okay. The nurse told me it was alright for you to return to our dorm if you would like. I brought your sword and such up with me." Rin thanked him as Yukio handed him his skeleton key, blazer, and sword, which he swung around his shoulder after putting on his partially shredded school blazer and depositing his key in his pocket.

"Thank you all. You guys have been awesome about this entire thing," Rin turned to face his friends again and suddenly realized there was a face missing from the crowd. He pursed his lips, puzzled as to why his best friend, the object of his hidden affection, was the only one not present to see him well and awake.

"Where's Sam?"

As the words left his lips, there was an instant change in everyone's demeanor, only adding to his confusion. They seemed to twitch and shift as he looked to each of them individually for explanation, Shima even going so far as to cough nervously and rub the back of his neck, looking at the ceiling as if it was suddenly fascinating.

Alarm and dismay, hot and heavy in his veins, began to fill Rin. He glanced over his shoulder at Yukio but his brother seemed to be hesitant to offer any help on the matter.

"Guys, where's Sam?" He repeated the question, anxiety hitting him with waves of possible scenarios. One stopped him cold in his tracks, chilling the heat the fear had ignited. "Did I.. Did I hurt him? When I blacked out?" He glanced around to assure that the infirmary was only occupied by him.

The question seemed to shock his audience as they all turned from their individual acts of avoiding his gaze to stare at him.

"No! No, nii-san. You didn't hurt him," Yukio began, walking from behind him. "But.. There is something you need to know about Sam, Rin." Horror filled Rin at the trepidation in Yukio's voice. A heavy mass of worry settled in his stomach and he searched his brother's eyes for an answer.

"Is he okay? What happened to him? Why're you all acting so strange again? What happened to Sam?" Despite his urging, they all still looked reluctant to answer him. He frowned, feeling prompted to plead with his friends. "Please, tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it." Yukio nodded to himself minutely, as if reassuring himself that he could tell his brother the truth.

"Sam," he began, considering his words carefully. "Sam was actually Mephisto in disguise, Rin. We don't know why he was doing it. We don't have an inkling of a clue of what could have prompted him to disguise himself as a student and become so close to another student. They're stilling looking into it but Mephisto traded his and your freedom in exchange for you defeating Amaimon so the investigation was more or less put on halt-" Yukio continued to explain but everything after the first sentence was lost on Rin's ears. Color drained from his face, mind zeroing in on that one statement.

Sam was Mephisto? His beautiful, kind, sarcastic, wonderful asshole of a best friend was his creepy, clown-lookalike headmaster?

Rin was hit with a wave of nausea as memories of all the moments they shared together, glances in class, laughs from jokes only they knew about, the notes they passed to each other, the butterflies Rin always felt when Sam smirked at him, the way Rin had become so fond of the other's golden eyes, the way Rin had appreciated Sam's agile and lithe body when he was sure the other wasn't looking. He remembered the pride in Sam's eyes when Rin had passed all his written exams, the affection there. Rin remembered the morning Amaimon attacked when he had realized he truly felt for Sam in ways that were taboo for one boy to feel for another boy.

Repulsion at the thought of all those moments being shared with Mephisto not Sam had him lurching, expelling the nonexistent contents of his twisting stomach. Yukio, who had apparently stopped talking at some point, gasped in surprise and grabbed Rin's shoulder. The younger twin said something that Rin's ears didn't register.

A different type of fear floored him. What must the others think? Did they know of Rin's feelings for Sam? They must be disgusted now, knowing he not only felt for a boy, but that he felt for a much older man and that man turned out to be their headmaster. Revoltion. They must be sickened by him.

Even if they were able to forgive him for lying about his identity, there was no way they'd accept him for being some little fag- He nearly puked again at the harsh word, looking up to find them all staring at him, with nauseated looks on their faces. His rushed mind falsely attributed the look for him and not the stinking bile he had just upchucked onto the floor.

Moments later, Rin found his legs carrying him out of the room, his classmates and brother's voices calling out behind him but he was moving too fast for any of them to catch up.

Thoughts of rejection nipped at his heels and carried him out of the infirmary and out into the humid, summer night air. He ran and ran, his ribs screaming almost as loud as his thoughts, each demanding his attention. To which, they were both denied.

He ended up in one of the first places Mephisto had ever taken him, the bridge with the large door beneath it. Rin resisted the urge to weep again at the thought of the man and of Sam and of it all in general. He leapt over the bridge's edge, pulling out his skeleton key as he hit the ground.

His terrified mind imagined the sound of voices following him as he frantically put the magic key in the slot and turned it. Whether they were actual voices of just the voices of his emotions seeking to be heard and analyzed, he did not know but nor did he care.

Throwing the door open, Rin rushed into the dimly lit cram school hallway with its many mysterious doors. He sprinted down the hallway, careless of the way his lungs begged for air and his legs begged for rest and his head begged for sleep's black embrace. He was sure he felt the cuts in his torso opening as his skin stretched to accommodate the fast hyperventilating tempo of his breathe.

All Rin could think about was getting away before they could reject him, getting away before they could look at him with more disgust, getting away from Mephisto before he could ruin his life any more than he already had.

He heard the ghosts of voices again and a chill spread across his skin and down his spine. Delirious hands reached out and brought him to an abrupt halt as he flung open a door and was met with a frozen, snowy landscape instead of a dark classroom as he was expecting.

However, the young demon's hesitation didn't last long as he no longer felt the push from behind making him move forward, but a pull from in front of him dragging him out into the cold wind. He stumbled at first, unsure of where he was going and almost wanting to turn back. Yet, whatever was urging him to move forward was strong and in his distraught state, thoughts of hypothermia or frostbite or other rationalities didn't seem to matter.

He wrapped his arms around himself and trudged forward, snow up to mid-calf, with glazed eyes. The cold numbed any possibility of thought and it was a calming bleakness that he welcomed.

Hours, minutes, days, seconds, years later, Rin found himself, led by that luring insistence, toppling onto the ground of a cave in the side of a large mountain. The inside of the cave was unnaturally warm and the floor was soft, covered with a thick layer of moss.

Despite unfathomably frigid ice in his toes and fingers and being unknowing of where he was, the teen's exhausted body and tormented psyche gave up on awareness and consciousness simultaneously as his strained mind thought he registered the feel of someone's tepid touch on his cold, furrowed forehead.


	17. To Its Addicting Pain

Chapter 17

Mephisto brushed his fingers over Rin's fevered forehead, a sigh on his lips as the boy succumbed to unconsciousness. He had seen the teen dashing from the infirmary in a flurried, nearly crazed haste. He could only assume Rin had found out who Sam really was.

There was a pang of regret in Mephisto's chest, a feeling he was still becoming used to after realizing how exactly his decisions as of late would affect Rin's life as a whole. And then there was also something akin to rejection blooming when he realized how much Rin was disgusted by the thought of Mephisto being Sam. If it had him running as if the ghouls were nipping at his heels, blindly into portals to other countries high up in the mountains. Rin had felt such a need to get away from him that he placed himself thousands of miles away.

Mephisto found this train of thought and these emotions disconcerting yet..

Looking down at the boy's face, he couldn't bring himself to reason that the boy's feelings and well being was of no concern to him. The furrowed brow, the lips twisted into a frown even in sleep, the tracks of tears still evident on Rin's pale cheeks, all of them made it impossible for Mephisto to feel pleased or even indifferent about the situation. He slipped his hands beneath Rin's still form and lifted him up, cradling him to his chest gently.

Mephisto glanced around at the cave, a feeling of nostalgia and slight awe coming over him. It was somewhat astounding that Rin would make his way to this place, assumably unknowing of its importance. The cave walls were the same bluish grey granite that they had been nearly sixteen years ago, still inlaid with an iridescent quality that gave the cavern an unnatural light. The moss covering the floor wound deeper into the chamber, ending at the site of a large, thickly petaled flower. The purple blossom had yet to wilt since its last occupant had lain there.

The older demon found it almost humorous and most certainly fitting that Rin would escape here in what was likely one of the most emotionally trying times of his life. It was his place of birth after all. Except now there was no Shiro or Yuri and Yukio was grown and far away on another continent entirely. It was just Rin and Mephisto. The latter laid the former unto the flower, soothing his hair from his face.

Rin was nearly identical to Yuri, the same wild dark hair and rounded face, pale skin unnaturally translucent in the faded lighting. He looked ethereal, ghostly even, the tormented expression on his face marring the captivating nature of the scene.

Mephisto brushed the onyx-blue tinted hair from his face once again, finding the action soothed himself more than it probably soothed Rin, and slide his gloved hand down a slightly reddened cheek. He had thought he would never be allowed this close to Rin again and had sworn to himself that he would stay away but seeing the boy distraught, frantically sprinting across the courtyard and down the darkly lit streets of the Academy, Mephisto had found he could not resist following.

Now, he was glad for it because he got one more look at the young face he had grown so fond of over the course of his time as Sam. He recalled earlier that night when he had been in nearly this exact situation, his ward sleeping and him leaning over the boy stealing a kiss before he was driven away by the sounds of others and his own need to get away before Rin rejected him.

Mephisto sighed and pulled away, albeit reluctantly. Every piece of his body told him to stay, to protect, to explain himself. But his mind knew better. He could do none of those things. It was better if he were to just disappear completely from Rin's life aside from his role as headmaster, to dissuade anymore interaction with the boy, to stick to the plan he had previously set to see Rin protect Assiah from his kin on either side of the dimensional plane.

However, as Rin let out a soft whimper and moved to curl in on himself, Mephisto found his resolve evaporating as if it had never existed.

"Rin.." he spoke softly, the name tasting in equal parts sweet and bitter on his tongue. The older demon clenched his fist and dragged another hand over his face, closing his eyes and turning away from the younger demon, resisting the need to comfort the child as a troubling dream seemed to take his frayed, unconscious mind.

There was no part of this relationship that could be rationally justified. It wasn't a question of moral to Mephisto, it was a question of logic. He didn't care about the age difference nor the gender nor the fact they were half-brothers. He was a demon after all and there were no such social barriers in Gehennah like in the human world. But he knew that Rin didn't want him in any such way. It would be foolish to chase the boy like some lovestruck schoolgirl. Rin was a pawn, meant to be used for Mephisto's own purposes. Love was an emotion that distracted the mind and made people foolhardy and weak.

Mephisto allowed a smirk to grace his face, finding his resolve again and ignoring the soft noises coming from Rin's troubled form. He would be far better off without these emotions clouding his judgement and muddying his plans.

Still..

"What are you doing here?" A voice with venom lacing its sleepy tone rose from behind the headmaster and he nearly felt himself jump but resisted the urge as he turned his head to glance over his shoulder. Rin was awake it seemed, the dream must have been very awful indeed, and now those brilliant sapphire orbs were trained on Mephisto in a mixed look. Confusion, anger, and no small amount of hurt swirled in those depths and Mephisto nearly let the smirk on his lips drop, his own lime eyes widening slightly. He stowed the reaction away and returned his expression to one of neutral amusement.

"I am your guardian, Okumura-kun. I can't just have my wards dashing off to the Alpines without notice. I came to retrieve you." Mephisto said this matter of factly, turning and placing a gloved hand on his hip, gripping tightly to resist moving forward to ease a stray hair from Rin's anger creased brow. Rin scowled and the confusion in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a new amount of anger.

"Why?" The words hung in the air for a moment and Mephisto made as if to check his nails, raising an eyebrow.

"Why what, Okum-"

"You know what!" Rin was up and on his feet before Mephisto in a flash, his nostrils flaring. Mephisto wanted to flinch under the pain and betrayal in that gaze. He maintained his neutrality as he let his smirk drop and gave Rin an unimpressed droopy eyed look. "Why? Why did you disguise yourself as Sam? Why'd you try to befriend me? Why? What game did you think you were playing because I clearly wasn't even aware I was a player? You can't just toy with me like this!" As the young demon yelled, Mephisto made to step away, the close proximity with Rin making it difficult for him to think of a proper way to calm the boy while maintaining some form of emotional distance and dignity. However, as he moved back, Rin moved forward, his chest heaving from his tirade. His eyes were imploring and clearly he was not giving up on the subject. Mephisto retained a sigh and briefly entertained the idea of simply vanishing in a puff of pink smoke, as was his usual escape route. But, the sadness in Rin's eyes, thinly veiled by his rage, made it impossible. He knew Rin would feel dejected and would be even more hurt by the action.

Instead, Mephisto chose to answer as simply as he could, "I did it because I wanted to." This didn't seem to be the correct answer as Rin reached forward and grabbed Mephisto's collar.

"Because you wanted to! Do you think you can just play with people? That you can just play with me?" Mephisto ignored the hand wrapped in his dress shirt, ignoring the uncomfortable closeness Rin was creating between them. Mephisto mentally chided himself at thinking of such a thing when the object of his affection was clearly not interested and in a quite a state of distress.

"I can do as I please. Remember I am your headmaster so it would be best if you let go of my shirt. You're wrinkling the fabric." Mephisto made a noise of mock exasperation but made no move to remove the hand. He was sure placing his hand on Rin's would make his fading determination vanish entirely.

Rin bristled at the statement, fist clenching tighter. Wrinkling the fabric? Is that really all the older man cared about? Not the fact that he had lead Rin to believe he had a true friend? Someone who understood him on every level? Someone who had believed in him and helped him succeed when he thought he was going to fail? Rin felt all the time he had spent with Sam flash before his eyes once again, imagining the same scenes but with the headmaster in place of his blond best friend. The thought made bile rise in the back of his throat.

"How can you act like everything the past few months was just a funny little game? Sam was my best friend! We spent everyday together! We had every class together! Or you and I did, or…" Rin made a strangled groan and released Mephisto to back away and tear at his hair, a moment of panic taking over him at being so close to the man who quite possibly had just ruined his life. His brother was disgusted with him, his friends were disgusted by him, hell, he was disgusted by himself. He looked up to glare at the stoic purple haired demon. "How could you do this? How could you happily ruin my life? Don't you have any emotions, you bastard? How can Sam and you be the same person when Sam was amazing and happy and kind and you.." He looked the other demon up and down, growling and spitting his words as his hands dropped from his hair and his body straightened. "You're just a manipulative conceited asshole who thinks it's fun to hurt people." Rin didn't catch the suffering look in Mephisto's eyes as the words hit the older demon in his chest, where his heart would reside if he believe he had one. Rin didn't notice the tightening of the other's jaw or the way Mephisto's body tensed with the urge to flee, something he couldn't recall ever having felt before. He knew he had to take this, he deserved this for letting himself be carried away in the act of being Sam. Letting Rin be angry now would help drive the boy away and protect them both from further interaction and further duress. Mephisto held his tongue and took the pain of Rin's words in stride. Pretending to be unaffected was an act he was used to. When growing up in Gehennah, you must never show such weakness.

Rin's heated glare burned as it scorched a path of appallment across his rigid body. "Oh you have nothing to say now? After all the hurtful things you've done, you can't say anything?" Rin scowled and clenched his fist. "Figures. Fucking coward." The boy spat.

Resolution to remain unaffected quickly forgotten, Mephisto's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened for a different reason this time. He found his indignation at the statement slipping past his lips before he could think to stop it. Rin truly was an awful influence on him if he was doing things like not thinking before he spoke. "I'm a coward? Watch who you are talking to, boy. I am not some thug on the street that you can just batter with your words or beat up like in your middle school days." Rin's eyes widened and his tail began to flicker wildly behind him, his body seething with the urge to be set aflame, as if his anger was propane ready to be lit. Their anger at each other and their resent for their actions seemed to feed off each other, the air in the cave growing thick with spite and hurt that demanded to be released.

"Oh you think so? That I'm too weak to take you on? That I'm too weak to do anything about what you've done to me?" Rin felt his skin prick with small fires however he didn't reach for the sword settled on his back. Something he didn't understand was telling him not to and he couldn't fight the urge. Instead, he felt the blue fires swiftly overtake his skin on sheer rage alone, unheeded by the fact that the sword was still in its holster.

Mephisto fought with himself, a part of him wanting to leave and another part of him wanting to fight with Rin. To have that thrill. To teach the child a lesson about respect. To have some form of contact with the boy. He felt conflicted in ways he had never felt. He decided to turn to ground that he was familiar with, degradation, rude words, hurtful quips.

"You are weak, Okumura." _You're so strong, Rin._ "Pathetic, really." _Amazing._ "No matter what you do. You will always be weak." _You're already so much stronger than me, than everyone._

Rin's fist came at him fast and unexpected, connecting with Mephisto's cheek with a resounding smack of skin. There was a crack as one of Rin's knuckles smashed under the pressure of the blow. Mephisto's face jerked to the side but his body remained rigid, the unnatural strength of his limbs keeping him there. Rin cried out and clutched his hand, stepping back as Mephisto stared at an unknown spot to the left of them. There was a moment of heavy silence, the only noise being the sound of the wind blowing through the mouth of the cave.

Mephisto's cheek stung as he attempted to reign in the fuming heat he felt. He wanted to lash out childishly like Rin had. But it would do neither of them good. He was better than such displays. Instead, he leveled his gaze with Rin and saw the flicker of fear in the blue eyes he had become so fond of. Mephisto detested seeing that look, especially when it was he who caused it. Rin was holding his now broken hand tenderly to his chest, eyes glassy with a mixture of pain and sorrow, his cheeks tinted scarlet with rage. He looked so small, so terrified, so fragile. Mephisto recalled the time on the roof, so long ago. Rin had seemed so fragile then as well, tears falling like torrents down his cheeks and hopelessness and desperation clouding his eyes and mind. A part of Mephisto physically ached, wishing to pull the child into his arms just the same as when Rin had rushed into his arms that night. To offer the same comfort as he had then, no matter how awkward the experience had been. He would have given anything to be able to do so, to remove all of the awful emotions Rin was exuding now.

The sight took the anger from his body like a vacuum, leaving him empty, but he didn't let it show. It was better to be withdrawn, to make Rin believe that he hated him, that he didn't care and to let Rin hate him in return.

The smirk that he forced on to his face was the most difficult expression he had ever made, Rin taking a step back at the sight of it. Mephisto could only assume he was a terrifying vision at the moment, shaking with thinly veiled rage, hands clenched tight in restraint, eyes blank, and a sickening grin across his face.

Hating himself for the first time in his entire, lengthy existence, Mephisto forced his feet to turn and begin to take him away, away from Rin and this absurd affection he felt for the younger demon.

"Like I said, pathetic."

With that, he was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

Well, well, I am back! I apologize for the delay .-. I am terrible, I know. But, I have this other story that distracted me. And then another story that distracted me. And then another.. And another... And another... Yeah .-.

Any hoozles, enjoy! And give me feed back, pleeeaaasseee? I do so enjoy hearing from all of you! :) :P

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Rin looked down, not wanting to watch Mephisto go and instead continuing to tremble and cradle his broken hand. He had the urge to scream and fly at the man in a fury to show the man he wasn't pathetic.

A whispered 'fucking bastard' breathed past his lips but it lacked venom as the urge was quelled by the immense feeling of self doubt, self hate, self loathing he felt.

Tears ran down his cheeks and he wasn't sure if they would ever stop. Not that he cared at the moment. The older demon's words rang in his ears, words that he had told himself time and time again but hearing them aloud made them seem so much more painful.

He was weak. He was pathetic. He couldn't protect the ones he loved. He had brought Amaimon down on Shiemi and the others.

An image of Shiemi choking, gasping for air as Amaimon squeezed her flashed through Rin's mind. He had caused her to suffer.

Rin shrunk in on himself, becoming consumed by all the thoughts and shadows in his head. He was useless. He was worthless. He was an idiot. He was only passing his classes because of that damned Mephisto and his puppeteering plans. He was a useless exorcist. He was a demon. Above all, he was alone.

Rin sobbed and fell to his knees. The words echoed again and again in his head.

Worse yet, it was the fact that they came from _Mephisto_ that seemed to hurt the most. All Rin could imagine was Sam saying it. He could imagine the bright orange tinted eyes glaring at him as his lips spat those words at him with finality. Sam, the person he'd come to care for on a level even he hadn't realized til the illusion was shattered and Mephisto's lies were revealed.

The young demon felt as if he could retch at the adoration he had begun to have for Sam being displaced to Mephisto. And yet, here he was being torn apart by the man's words as if Sam had said them.

Confusion, anger, fear, anguish, they all swirled in a violent hurricane around Rin, suffocating him. Sam, his tutor, his insider to the demon world, his bantering asshole of a sparring partner, his best friend, was gone and was replaced by his conniving headmaster. It was earth shattering. He'd begun to care for Sam in a way he had thought he cared for Shiemi in the beginning and now the blooming crush was replaced with an image of Mephisto.

Rin's stomach gave a dull heave as his heart and mind raced frantically, breathe coming in pained gasps and sobs as tears continued to flow.

He felt so betrayed, so sick, so hurt, so agonized.

Yukio probably hated him, disgusted with him just the same as his friends were. All of his precious people had been ripped from him in the course of less than an hour. He was alone now. He had Kuro, who was back home in his dorm probably distraught with worry when Shiro's youngest son didn't arrive home to the dorm safe and sound as he was supposed to.

Rin curled in on himself, wishing this world would fade. Perhaps the ground could open up and swallow him whole, alleviate this torrent of emotions in him. He cried till he could cry no more and then he cried some more, letting out watery chokes and whimpers that echoed back to him.

Eventually, he calmed in some semblance of bleak exhaustion, staring blankly at the ground before him for only God knows how long.

Sometime later, something shifted a few feet from him and his head jerked up, bloodshot eyes looking for the source of the movement.

To his surprise, two small snowmen appeared from a hidden crevice in the cave's wall. The dark-haired teen quickly wiped at his face with his uninjured hand, feeling the sticky remnants of his mental lament. The snowmen stepped out tentatively.

' _Hello,'_ came a soft voice, almost as if it was echoing inside his head. Rin recognized the feeling, it was how demons communicated telepathically. Like how Rin spoke with Kuro.

"Hello," the teen said in reply, his voice trembled, making him scowl. He straightened from his hunched over posture, still holding his hand to his chest.

' _You're hurt,'_ said a different, slightly higher pitched voice. The smaller of the two snowmen pointed his marshmallow-like snowy arm at Rin, it's mouth less head nodding at Rin's hand. The dark haired demon gave a nod in response, pulling the broken appendage from his chest to examine it. The knuckle was swollen and a dark rouge against his pale skin. Rin felt like an idiot for having thought it was a good idea to punch Mephisto. He shook his head at himself and looked back to the frozen demons

"Er.. yeah, I am," he wasn't sure what else to say. Instead, he just eyed the two in a mixture hesitation and curiosity. He had never met any demons like the snowmen, free-ranging, uncontracted, nonhuman-like demons. They looked harmless enough. But then again goblins look like rubber balls till they open their mouths and reveal their giant teeth.

' _Don't worry. We're not going to hurt you. You're Yuri's son.'_ The larger snowman, who was wearing a fez hat and a scarf around its neck, said this matter-of-factly, coming forward without caution to touch Rin's hand. Rin's eyebrows furrowed, wiping at his face again to brush away any remaining moisture and allowing the tiny creature to turn his hand over in its fingerless appendages.

"Yuri? Who's that?" The big snowman looked up in surprise as the smaller came up behind it with an odd, tan pouch.

' _You don't know who that is?'_ The confusion was evident in the demon's nearly expressionless face. Rin shook his head. The other gave pause for a moment before returning its attention to Rin's finger, pulling a jagged looking leaf from the pouch the seemingly younger snowman had offered it. ' _How sad that a demon so young doesn't even know its own mother's name.'_

Rin's eyes widened, jerking his hand from the snowman's grasp and earning himself a glare, "My mother?"

' _Stay still!'_ Rin looked about to protest but the snowman interrupted him. ' _I will tell you about her if you let me tend to your finger.'_ The teen gave the two a conflicted look before sighing reluctantly, pouting slightly, and giving the older snow demon his hand. It worked silently for a few moments, tearing the large leaf into strips and beginning to wrap it around the swollen finger before him. ' _She used to live here with us. With all of the common demons of this forest. She was a nice woman. Her name was Yuri Egin.'_

' _And she was really pretty!'_ The smaller snowman piped up. The other nodded and continued.

' _Yes, she was very, very beautiful, inside and out. I have never met such a kind human, such a pure human. She didn't mind being friends with us, even came to love us in the end. She lived here, not in this cave of course, but here in the woods. In a log house not far from here, humans not being able to stand such cold temperatures you know. We couldn't go in there, heat is very uncomfortable to us. But, she spent a lot of her time out in the snow, talking to us and telling us about places far from here. I'm sorry you never got to meet her, little one. You couldn't have asked for a more selfless mother.'_ Rin's eyes had grown to the size of saucers, mouth open a little boorishly. His mother had been friends with demons? Had welcomed them into her life and lived with them? Out here in the middle of nowhere? ' _Miss Yuri even had a heart big enough to love the King.'_

"The King?" Rin implored quietly, thoughts of a faceless woman picnicking with a man in a garish crown flashing through his mind's eye. The idea almost made him want to laugh, in spite of the emotionally drained state he felt. The snowman finished dressing his hand, moving away and sitting down with a quiet plop in front of Rin, who moved to sit with his legs crossed. His hand was quickly forgotten, whatever leaf the snowman had put on it dulling the pain to a minute ache.

' _Yes, King Satan. You must know who he is? Your father.'_

Rin nodded at this, a tad reluctantly. He was aware that whomever his mother was, Shiro never having mentioned her except for that one time when they were very young, walking through the snow and bare trees, that she must have had relations with Satan. Rin and Yukio were proof of that. But, she loved him? Rin couldn't see a kind, gentle woman like what the snowmen were describing being in love with a horrible creature like Satan.

' _I understand what you are thinking. That Yuri couldn't have been all that I described and yet have loved the King. But, she had a heart bigger than this world and could see the good in anyone. Even the King. And I think he loved her too.'_

Rin's eyes widened again. "He couldn't have! That, that thing could never know anything of love!" He protested this loudly and felt suddenly self conscious as his voice echoed throughout the cavern. He lowered his tone, gaze dropping to watch his hands play with the hem of his shirt before continuing, "He must have taken advantage of her. Of how nice she was. He can't love. He's Satan, a demon, THE demon."

The snowman gave him a patronizing look, though its expression hardly changed. The smaller came to sit by the larger, fiddling with the plush moss in front of it and seeming content not to speak.

' _We are demons. You are a demon. But, we loved Yuri as well. And I'm sure if you had known her, you would have to. She had that way about her. She understood everything in a way of her own.'_

Rin nodded again, his mouth pressing into a thinline. He looked up, a soft gloss to his eyes.

"Tell me more about her. Please?"

And the snowmen did. They stayed there for a long time, long into the night as Rin sat transfixed by the many tales of his mother and her defense of the demons of the forest. The smaller only piped in from time to time to add comments about Yuri. Though the small creature eventually came to sit in front of Rin, facing its companion and worming its way like a toddler into Rin's lap as if it was story time. Which in essence it was.

Eventually, Rin's body slumped to the side, lulled by stories of a mother he never knew, of a brave woman with passionate views and a pouty temper, into a deep sleep. The exhaustion of the day took consciousness from him. It seemed just fine to the snowmen, who let the teen sleep, leaving him in favor of the snowy outdoors but promising themselves they would return to the son of Yuri, a connection to the woman which they had never thought they would come across.

* * *

Mephisto appeared in his office, slumping against his desk and staring upward at the ceiling. His own words echoed through his head.

He had gotten used to sentiment when it came to Rin. The younger demon just had a way about him that enthralled Mephisto to _feel_. It was a ridiculous notion but it was true none the less.

And currently, all Mephisto felt was regret, foreign and heavy in his chest. He had never regretted much in his life. Never like this, of course.

He had said such terrible things to Rin, things he knew from that time on the roof the younger had thought of himself. None of them were true. Yet, they were invaluable things to say in order to reestablish Rin's hate for him, to reestablish the distance between them so things could carry on as he had planned.

It didn't make the words anymore of a lie nor did it make Mephisto any less nauseated to have said them.

He could no longer deny the affection he felt for Rin. There was no other explanation for the sudden emergence of emotions within him. There was no point denying it to himself. Though should anyone ask, he would be vehement in refusing their claims.

The millenia old demon dragged a hand over his face, resting his head in his palm.

"None of this has gone to plan," he muttered to nothing.

Just then, a sharp rap came from his door, drawing his head from his hand to glare at the mahogany.

"Enter," he said curtly, some part of his mind faintly despising whoever would dare disturb him at nearly eleven pm when on a normal day he would be sleeping pleasantly in his bed. Though, today was far from a normal day wasn't it.

Surprisingly, it was Yukio who pushed the door open. He was still wearing his exorcist uniform, neat and immaculate as always. His face was shadowed with a clear lack of sleep and his hair was mussed as if his hand had been dragged through it a multitude of times.

"Okumura-kun, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Mephisto said, standing tall and trailing a hand over his desk as he rounded it to sit in his chair. "Be a dear and hit the light switch, won't you?" His voice was its usual sickly sweet in a way that made even himself feel annoyed at the moment.

Despite his request, Yukio continued through the doorway and was before the headmaster's desk with a few quick strides. His glasses glinted in the dim light the moon provided and gave him an eery look of calm.

Mephisto raised his eyebrow at the boy, waiting to see what would become of the situation. He could sense the carefully contained agitation and anger rolling off of the younger demon, this silence seeming to be the calm before the sun.

Finally, Yukio spoke, his tone clipped and forward, "Rin is missing. He ran when we told him about Sam." Mephisto gave the barest of nods, waiting for the twin to continue. "You know where he is." The words were a statement rather than being posed as a question. The older of the two saw no reason in lying.

"Yes, I do."

Yukio visibly stiffened, leaning forward to brace his hands on the front of the desk. The shift allowed his eyes to be seen, the two orbs hard as stone and blazing like fire all at once. "Where is he? What have you done to him, Mephisto?"

"What makes you think I've done anything to him? I simply know where he is," he knew he was blatantly playing on words, unwillingly to admit the horrible things he had said to Rin to his younger brother. Let the boy think what he wants.

Apparently, this was not the answer Yukio wanted. He had his twin guns cocked and aimed at Mephisto's head with a quick flurry of practised movements, though he only earned himself a dull stare that belied the surprise the other actually felt at the usually calm Yukio's visible loss of control.

"You will tell me where he is! After all you've put him through, everything you've done to him, the least you can do is help me find him so I know he's safe!" The noiret's voice was raised, climbing with every word and losing its deadly calm edge.

"He is safe," came the disinterested reply.

"Tell me where he is or I will use these to make you tell me." The cold hate behind the words made Mephisto realize Yukio was quite serious about the threat. Indignation flared in the back of the older demon's mind and he rose from his chair to lean boldly close to the barrels facing his way, tauntingly.

"I do not have to tell you anything, Okumura. And I would like to remind you that despite the Vatican's current distaste for me, you will none the less be removed of your status as an exorcist and placed in confinement for the murder of the Head of the Japanese branch of the True Cross Order. Then, not only will you not know where your older brother is but you will also-"

 _Bang!_

The shot rang like an blaring bell, leaving both of their ears ringing yet neither flinched at the sound. A smoking hole formed in the side of Mephisto's chair just a hair's breadth trajectory from Mephisto's forehead. His face remained blank as a silence followed the bullet's release.

The men stared into eachother's eyes for an eternity, their metals being tested against each other. Mephisto, sensing that this was going nowhere, attempted another tactic.

With an exasperated sigh, he leaned back, turning slightly to prod at the fresh hole in his chair.

"You know, I quite liked that chair. Such a shame," He held up a hand to stop any protest at his changing of the subject, shifting to stare at Yukio again. "Rin is safe. He is in a place where nothing can harm him. He does not want me there and I am certain he does not want you there. He needs time, something I am quite adverse in and something you should give him." A pink pocketwatch appeared with a wave of his hand, floating midair before Yukio's bewildered face. "In three days, this watch will take you to Rin. That should be enough time for him to sort himself out. Then, by pressing the button on the side, the watch will bring you back. Where Rin is…" Mephisto gave Yukio a hard stare that was neither simply a look nor a glare but something in between. "It is a place that I imagine will be very dear to him from now on and, at the moment, I am sure he wants it to remain his and his alone. I would hope you would respect that in your brother's time of need." The older demon ignored the blithering obvious suspicion and surprise on the younger's face. He waited stiffly for the boy to place his guns back in their places and retrieve the pocketwatch from the air before sitting back in his damaged chair.

Yukio eyed him skeptically, the animosity not yet gone from his face. "This is uncharacteristically human of you, Mephisto. It is doubtful you willingly do something kind for Rin after everything that you've done to him."

Mephisto resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Sam would have done in the situation, instead simply leaning so his arm rested on the arm of his chair and his cheek laid against his gloved knuckles, crossing his legs languidly.

"Isn't the expression not to look a gift horse in the mouth, dear Okumura-kun? Let's say I'm feeling particularly generous despite your intent on shooting me and ruining my favorite chair." His eyes hardened despite his relaxed position and he was sure the maddened murderous glint his father was oh so famous for was apparent in his eyes in the way that an involuntary shiver ran through Yukio, causing him to clutch the watch and straighten minutely. "Do not expect this kindness to last for my patience with being threatened his growing quite thin."

Yukio held the glare for a moment, in spite of the chilling words and thinly veiled threat, before turning on his heel with a curt nod.

It was not till the door closed behind the young exorcist that Mephisto allowed himself to slump in an uncommonly unrefined way, tension making his body ache.

"The Okumuras are a troublesome pair, indeed," he rubbed his eyelids with the hand he had been resting against, contemplating the merits of sleeping in his chair rather than dragging himself to his adjoining chambers.

Deciding against the possible crick in his neck in the morning, he stood, thoughts rushing between both interactions with the Okumura twins. If it had not been for his affection for the older twin, he would have surely turned the younger into a distant memory for even daring to draw and _fire_ his guns at him. It was unheard of and Mephisto could hardly contain his rage at Yukio's audacity.

However, some part of himself that he wasn't aware existed till Rin had wormed his way into his mind, had balked at the thought of killing Rin's younger brother, knowing such an act would truly devastate the boy. He also felt as if, on some level, he could understand Yukio's worry for Rin. For he knew if he had not seen Rin running through the courtyard he would be in a similar situation as Yukio, wondering where the older twin had dashed off to in his flurry of emotions and angst.

As the purple haired demon removed his hat and prepared for bed, his mind whirled with this new found sentiment, feeling extremely foreign in his own skin. This caring business was not him. This feeling for others business was so far from his normal calculating and 'the world is an eternal show filled with games and amusement' demeanor that he felt alien to himself.

He could only hope that with Rin's hate for him returned in full force that the sentiment would fade and he would return to himself in due time. However, his inner demon bayed at the notion in a primitive promise that this affection, this attraction, would not fade due to some insignificant thing such as the hate of a teenager.


	19. Chapter 19

Hey, everyone! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited! I'm so sorry about the wait but I really couldn't gauge how you all would react to this chapter, whether y'all would enjoy it or not. I hope you like it! I'll be posting the next chapter soon, hopefully. Depends on the response this gets I suppose. *sweatdrop*

Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Exorcist, its plot, or any of the characters. (Sadly.)

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Chapter 19

Rin woke to the two snowmen chatting to each other, their conversations echoing in the back of his head. He sat up, muttering softly about being able to turn off the demon-to-demon radio in his head.

The duo stopped and silently began urging him up, their white fingerless appendages poking at him till he followed. They led him out of the cave into the frigid air and snow Rin had barely noticed last night. Through the forest, they weaved between trees, Rin's feet beginning to freeze in the snow and his face stinging as wind picked up around them.

When he asked where they were going, tempted to turn back from this ridiculous trek, the snowmen replied simply that it was somewhere safe with someone who would take care of him.

Eventually, they reached a break in the trees that opened to a clearing untouched by snow. It was as if a pocket of spring had been safely guarded from the mountain's icy wrath. A cabin stood in the center of the clearing, old and rustic but surprisingly in good condition. Was this the cabin the snowmen had said his mother lived in?

' _We will melt if we go any further, but you are safe here. Go in,'_ the larger of the two snowmen said, pressing against Rin's calf and pushing him forward. He stumbled forward slightly, warm air immediately enveloping him. He turned to thank the snowmen but they had already disappeared back into the trees.

Rin shrugged, facing the cabin once again. His tail flickered behind him in anticipation. His mother had lived here. She had made friends with demons, even Satan, here.

His feet carried him forward, crossing the clearing, up the creaky stairs, and to the door where he gave pause. The snowmen had said they were taking him to someone who could help him. Who lived here now? Who dwelled in his mother's home?

Rin wrapped his knuckles on the door.

A moment passed.

Nothing.

Rin scrunched his brows together, knocking again.

"Coming! Coming!" A female voice called from within. The door opened revealing a woman with bright stormy eyes and long silver hair pulled up in a high ponytail. She smiled amiably at him, surprise and confusion touching her otherwise friendly, angular expression. "Hello. You're a little far off the beaten trail, love."

Rin blinked at her for a moment before scratching the back of his head and casting his gaze away, "Er.. The snowmen said you could help me." He realized how ridiculous that statement sounded and hoped she understood. He glanced back up at her face which now sparkled with recognition, eyes flitting to his ears as if she could see their pointed tips poking through his fringe.

"Of course, of course, come in," she said, opening the door wider for the teen. He stepped inside and she shut the door, continuing, "The snowmen sent you to me because my specialty is... Well, knowing things about others that they may not see for themselves." Her words were cryptic and they made Rin unsure that this had been the best idea. But his attention was otherwise preoccupied from this uncertainty but the home around him.

The cabin was homey on the inside, with a living room and kitchen adjacent. There were only two doors toward the back of the living room, presumably a bathroom and a bedroom. The decor was old-fashioned and weathered, a scene straight out of an antiquer's dream.

Rin blanched as he realized he and the woman were not the only two in the cabin. An assortment of albino animals lounged throughout it. A white hare and a creme-colored squirrel were munching on the leaves of some vegetable under the kitchen table. A hedgehog was snuffling around close to them, a leaf of its own in its mouth. A racoon stared at him with large, red, intelligent eyes from its perch on one of the living room chairs. A fox and a badger lay at the foot of said chair, curled around themselves and snoozing peacefully. A ferret scampered over to him, jumping around his feet excitedly. The woman laughed and picked up the small dancing creature, placing it on her shoulder. It seemed content there as it watched Rin with trepidation and curiosity. "I was just making lunch if you'd like some. We can go about introductions and you can tell me how I can help."

Rin stared at her as if she was mad, which being a solitary woman living in a cabin with a bunch of animals in the middle of nowhere, it probably wasn't far from the truth. The woman was bright and cheerful, her voice like warm honey and her smile everpresent. It was almost unnerving but Rin thought perhaps she was just happy to have company.

Nonetheless, he followed her as she made her way to the kitchen. He took a seat at the table, which had already been set for one. She puttered around the kitchen for a moment, leaving Rin feeling awkwardly out of place. When she returned to him, she held a large bowl of salad, another set of cutlery, and a bowl. She sat and dished them both a healthy serving of the greenery, the ferret still content on her shoulder.

Rin thanked her, beginning to nudge the greens with his fork and place a few highly hesitant bites in his mouth.

She noticed Rin's less than enthused expression at the sight of the salad and laughed, "Not one for veggies, my dear? That's alright, not everyone enjoys the vegetarian lifestyle. I'll be sure to find some meat for you for dinner, okay?" That smile, Rin found her kindness overpowering but then again it seemed genuine.

He thanked her and they began to eat in silence. He cast glances at her and the animals around them every so often. The environment was warm, the atmosphere amiable. It felt odd to be so welcomed as a complete stranger. They hadn't even exchanged names yet.

"Uh... I'm Rin, just so ya know," his hand scrubbed the back of his neck. The woman laughed a bit around her salad.

"I'm Alva, it's nice to meet you, Rin. I've heard much about you," her laughter was hidden behind her hand this time. Rin gave her a confused look, snorting.

"You know me already? Did the snowmen tell you about me?" Alva's eyes shone with mischief.

"Not exactly. I heard from someone you probably would find surprising. But, let's not talk about that for now?" She stood, her bowl half empty but her smile present. She placed the bowl on the ground, which was quickly finished off by her smaller companions on the floor. "I'd like to go for a walk in the woods, will you accompany me?" Her change in subject made Rin suspicious.

"Hey, you can't just pretend you didn't say something important after saying it!" Alva grabbed a large thick woven shawl from a hook on the wall by the door, not looking at Rin as he stood from the table.

She took her time putting it on and pulling her long hair from the coat's confines before turning to face her guest, "Tell you what, I'll let you stay here with me and help you through whatever problem it is the snowmen think I can assist you with. I'll tell you about the person whose gushed your praises and you faults, but I want to tell you while we're on a walk. The person also happens to be visiting tonight and you will probably thank me for telling you away from my home. You'll get the choice to join me on the walk back or you may return to your cave. It'll be an easier situation to navigate that way I assure you" She extended to him a shawl similar to her's. He stared at it and then her incredulously before shaking his head and crossing his arms.

"That makes no sense! Who could possibly know me and you?" Rin wracked his brain but found no answer of his own. Alva continued to look at him with gentle patience that made the entire situation even more confusing. Rin snorted in frustration, "Plus, I'm not just going to go walking through the woods with a woman who lives in the middle of nowhere just because my mom's friends told me to." Alva's eyes flickered with some unknown emotion that was gone as quick as it had arrived, replaced by her happy exterior.

"Come now, Rin. I'm offering to help you. It is my specialty, remember?" She opened the door, letting a burst of fresh, warm air in that fluttered the shawl in her still outstretched hand. He gave a sigh, hoping this wasn't his last poor decision as he took the clothing and wrapped it around him. He followed Alva out the door, her feet at some point having become clad in warm boots that he felt his own feet grow envious for.

The two wandered through the trees for what felt like hours, Rin always a stride behind Alva. The shawl she had given him kept him warm in an unnatural way, its heat uninterrupted by the wind or the fact it wasn't completely wrapped around him or even reaching his knees. Its heat reached his toes to his head in a warm bubble.

Eventually, they stopped at the edge of a frozen river lined with large rocks. Alva sat on one of the more massive boulders and gestured for Rin to do the same. They sat silently for a moment. Rin began to wonder if she expected him to speak first, but, before he could think of anything to say, she spoke.

"Your heart is in conflict - with someone else and with your own self," she did not look at him as she said this. His eyes went wide, surprise most evident in them.

Rin was unsure what to say in return. He couldn't deny it but he didn't want to affirm it either. An image of Sam attempted to appear in his mind but instead Mephisto's Cheshire grin poisoned his psyche. He felt the urge to scowl and cry, not wanting to talk about this. This wasn't the help he needed, he just needed somewhere to hide, possibly for forever as he imagined what his friends would think of him, what his brother would think of him.

Alva seemed tuned in to his moral turmoil, placing her hand on his shoulder, "Your heart is the most important part of your body, it is the link between your soul and your being. We should all trust our hearts and what they tell us, despite how are brains try to befuddle the message," Rin didn't respond to this. "Your mother did." This made him look up.

"Did you know my mother?"

Alva's smile was tinged with sadness, "No, I'm afraid I did not but I know of her. She was intelligent, iron-willed, and strong-minded. She knew what her heart wanted. That gave her her kindness, her immense ability to love. Do you believe she would want you to ignore your heart in favor of your mind's barriers? I do not." Rin sat silently, digesting the words. The woman was imploring him to accept and be content with Sam and Mephisto as one, for that was what his heart wanted. His heart wanted to find the pieces of Mephisto that were Sam and cling to them. His heart needed to accept the clown as the fiery demon he adored, to fill the gaping whole the loss of Sam punched through it.

But, he couldn't.

"You don't understand," he muttered, shaking her hand from his shoulder.

Alva didn't seem to be offended. "Then make me. Talk about it."

Rin rubbed a frustrated palm over his face, sliding it to the back of his neck, "I can't."

"Why is that?" came the soft reply.

Rin bent his head back, staring at the grey sky, "I can't because my heart wants something it can never have." The words tasted cheesy and obnoxious on his tongue but he had no other way to conceptualize it. He scowled to himself, wishing he'd never agreed to Sam's deal, wishing he'd never-

"Are you sure about that?" Her hand found its way to his shoulder again.

Rin frowned, she wouldn't understand. His heart wanted someone who didn't exist, an illusion put in place by a sadistic clown. Rin thought about Sam's brilliant eyes and his heart ached that they weren't real. He remembered when Sam had calmed him after fighting Amaimon, the way he had spoken so softly, held him still. It was hard to place Mephisto's name on such an action.

His mind was flooded with images of Mephisto holding him atop the roof, contradicting what he'd just thought. Mephisto had held him while he sobbed incoherently, completely lost in his own inner turmoil.

Sam and Mephisto weren't the same. Their actions may have mirrored eachother, but they weren't the same.

But they were the same person, weren't they?

Rin groaned in frustration, filing his hands through his hair violently.

"You can speak to me, I assure you. Nothing you say will be spoken to another soul," Alva goaded him gently.

"Talking won't help!" The outburst didn't seem to face the woman. Instead, she calmly nodded, scooping up a handful of snow and holding it out for him. He looked at her in bewilderment, to which she smiled.

"What is it that I'm holding?"

Rin felt almost offended by the question, "Snow."

Alva grinned at the response, clenching her fist tightly around the snow till it condensed and melted in her palm before opening her fingers again, "Are you sure? It looks like water to me." The teen cocked an eyebrow at her, pursing his lips.

"Well, you melted it but it was snow."

Her grin turned into a soft, thoughtful expression, "The snow has always been water. It just needed a chance to thaw." She let the water fall from her hand, drying it on her shawl. "People are much the same. They can be entirely different," her eyes were imploring and intense despite the compassion in her voice. "With a little warmth."

Rin realized what she meant, a shiver running up his spine at her uncanny ability to read his thoughts. He eyed her suspiciously. "People aren't snow." She hummed softly at this.

"The person visiting me tonight is like snow. Well," she shook her head. "Maybe he's more like snow with a core of ice, a little harder to melt. But, with the right amount of love, he is water, just the same." Rin snorted at the ridiculousness of the metaphor.

"Who is he?"

Alva seemed hesitant to answer, but after a pause, she answered in a cheerful tone, "You would know him as Satan."


	20. My Apologies

To all my lovely reviewers and readers,

I have not abandoned this fic and not will I ever, thank you for all your patience and your reviews.

I've become quite stuck in where I want to take this fic and have had a lot of things happen in my personally life. My father passed away this year and I dropped out of college in order to move back to my remaining family. It's been difficult. It's made my muse for writing disappear as if it was never there.

But, I assure you, this story will be completed!

Thank you for your continued patience and, hopefully, your continued understanding!

I love you all and I hope you've had a good year while I've been absent.

-Malin Marie


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